


Soul Eater: Troubled Souls - Act 1

by GradeAMasterpiece



Series: Novus Ordo Mundi saga [3]
Category: Soul Eater, Soul Eater Not!
Genre: Action/Adventure, Canon-Typical Violence, Canon/Canon, Character Development, Family, Friendship, Gen, Language, OC/Canon, OC/OC - Freeform, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-15
Updated: 2016-06-08
Packaged: 2018-01-04 17:54:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 48
Words: 330,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1083961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GradeAMasterpiece/pseuds/GradeAMasterpiece
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The vendetta of two individuals soon expands to involve everyone around them. Slowly, the pieces of the past, present, and future come together and unravel a dastardly plot centered upon death, vengeance, and family. It is the job of new and old friends to get stronger and grow closer as the fate of two worlds hangs in the balance. Contains OC, violence, and strong language.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A New Day is Dawning: Different Sides of the Same Coin

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my newest story: Soul Eater: Troubled Souls. I thank you for taking the time to read this story. This story has been up for quite some time, so let me lay down some things so that you know what this story entails:
> 
> Chronology: This story borrows from both the anime and the manga. Soul Eater: Troubled Souls takes place after the Baga Yaga Castle arc, incorporating elements from both the anime and manga versions of that arc.
> 
> Setting: We all know where Soul Eater takes place. I'm moreso telling readers that this story will expand the universe of Soul Eater, covering vague things touched upon in the source material and adding my own bits of history to it.
> 
> Forewarning: The story will contain the following: instances of strong violence, humor ranging from childish to young adult, strong language, and the prevalence of OCs. In addition, both OCs and canon characters will learn some things (techniques, history, etc.) not present in canon.
> 
> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A strange mission leaves Kid and Maka worrying about what is to come. Meanwhile, elsewhere, a person named Caius worries about what will happen to him. Beginning of the Introduction Arc.

_If you could change the world, how and why would you do it?_

* * *

 

 **A New Day is Dawning: Different Sides of the Same Coin**  
  
_Month 1, Week 1, Day 1 (Monday, January 1st)_    
  
The forest floors of Madagascar were shady and gloomy. The thick canopy above sparsely filtered the sunlight, robbing the sprawling foliage of its greenness and forcing the wood to be a darker shade of brown. The animalistic noises and rustles were ominous and unsettling, reminding one of the potential risks lying around every corner. The dew added a certain mugginess to the shadows, all-encompassing and mysterious. In comparison to the inviting tropical trees up high, the jungle floor radiated danger.  
  
The sounds of vicious roaring and destruction could testify.  
  
A ferocious monstrosity tore through everything in its way, harshly knocking someone into a thick tree with one of its green vines. Six thick vines hung from the base of a thick trunk, a few acting as locomotive features whilst the rest as tentacles. The beast’s most defining trait was the rusty red  _Rafflesia_ -like head harboring a large maw of razor-sharp teeth. This, a Kishin Egg, was one of the many reasons why the world was in danger. These atrocious monsters victimized innocent people for the sake of consuming their souls to reach unimaginable power, to become a Kishin.   
  
"Man, Lord Death wasn't kidding when he said these Madagascar Trees were tough. You okay there, Maka?"  
  
The voice came from a scythe with a long grey, staff-like shaft. The blade was black and red with the two colors separated by a zigzag line, and next to it was a prominent, eyelike décor. Wielding it was a pigtailed schoolgirl wearing a white blouse, yellow pullover, red plaid skirt, black boots with white buckles, and a long trench coat.  
  
"Don't worry, Soul, I'm fine." Maka reassured him while getting up to face the Madagascar Tree. The botanical beast opened its maw, acid-green saliva oozing out. The drool dripped to the ground, the litter of the forest sizzling and dissolving on contact. The beat was hungry, and next on the menu was Maka. The scythe technician, narrowed her eyes, spun Soul above her head, and assumed a defensive stance.   
  
It was the duty of Academy students like Maka and Soul to prevent the birth of another Kishin.   
  
"Let's go, Soul Resonance!"  
  
The souls of both Maka and Soul began to synchronize. They were calm and of one mind, sending their wavelengths to each other and back, amplifying them exponentially as a result. The phenomenon manifested as intense soul energy accumulating around Maka's entire body and Soul's weapon form. The head of the scythe glowed a magnificent bluish-white color, transforming into a crescent moon shape and possessing a translucent reddish eye.   
  
Maka dug her feet into the ground and kicked off them, heading for the Madagascar Tree with her resonance technique ready, "Witch Hunter—!"  
  
" _Yahooooooo_!!!"  
  
Before any other movement was made, something from above came crashing down with great force. The object landed on the Madagascar Tree, knocking it out and sending dirt and rocks flying into the air. Maka froze up in her spot completely, watching helplessly as her moment was prematurely ended. When the dust cleared, it was revealed that another Madagascar Tree had fallen on top of the other. A person stood between them and Maka, admiring his work.  
  
"Ha! That ugly plant has no business taking on a big guy like me!" He was a young, blue-haired boy that wore a sleeveless black shirt with a funnel-like collar and white trousers that were black from the knee down and just a little short of being full length. He was carrying a chain-scythe with yellow handles, hitching one of the double-edged and double-pointed blades on his shoulder. He noticed a slack-jawed Maka hanging in midair, Witch Hunter at the ready. He grinned. "Oh, hey, Maka! Did you finish up?"  
  
Maka finally landed on the ground as Witch Hunter deactivated. "Well, I'm done now." She sighed. Blackstar could be a colossal mood-wrecker at times. She still couldn’t grasp how Tsubaki tolerated him. She glanced at the two Madagascar Trees to ascertain their condition. They groaned tiredly, unable to get back up from the impact. At least the targets were taken down. "Where's Kid and Crona?" She asked, looking back at Blackstar.  
  
On the left-hand blade of the chain-scythe, Tsubaki's reflection appeared as she answered, "I'm not sure. They're probably in another part of the f—"  
  
"DISGUSTING! DISGUSTING!  _DISGUSTING_!!!"  
  
Virtually out of nowhere, another Madagascar Tree was brutally slammed into the previous two, followed by an innumerable barrage of powerful gunshots. Maka, Soul, Blackstar, and Tsubaki all screamed as the meisters shielded themselves from the explosions that followed. All the while, the sounds of gunfire thundered across the forest floor. Afterwards, someone landed on the ground near them. He wore a black business suit, a formal white dress shirt beneath this, black pants, and a metallic skull functioning as a tie. His arms were outstretched to the side, carrying two pistols in each hand. "There. That takes care of that." He said contently.   
  
"Jeez, Kid, you almost hit  _us_!" Blackstar shouted, pointing accusingly at him.   
  
Kid looked up and let his arms drop. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't notice you two."   
  
"And for good reason!" One of the pistols whined, "That thing  _ate_  us!"  
  
"The insides looked like a cave!" the other pistol cheered as if being eaten wholly alive was an adventure.   
  
Kid sighed as he said, "Alright, Liz and Patty, it's over with now." He looked over at the spot where the man-eating trees once were, having evaporated into a trio of crimson souls. Then, he examined his surroundings, noticing someone was missing. "Where's Crona?"  
  
"I-I-I'm here."  
  
Walking up to the trio was an androgynous fellow wearing a long black old-style robe with white cufflinks and black slipper-like shoes with a tall white cuff protruding from the top. The black and white sword the person was carrying had three Madagascar Tree impaled on it, yet the swordsman walked as if they weighed as much as air.   
  
"Me and Crona would've been here sooner if it weren't for us trying to do a Soul Resonance. Which failed!” The big, red lips on the base of the sword chattered irritably, "Why can't we just stick to Scream Resonance and be done with it?!"  
  
Crona sighed, dropping the man-eating plants to the ground. They dissolved into red souls like the previous batch. "Because, Ragnarok, we're supposed to learn." The swordsman answered simply.   
  
"With that, that's all six of them." Maka announced. All the weapons in the area glowed as they returned to their normal forms, standing by their respective meister.  
  
"Yahoo! That's one more successful mission on my track record!" Blackstar boasted, throwing his hands into the air.  
  
"Which ain't much to begin with." Ragnarok rested his chin on Crona’s tousled hair, taunting the Shadow Weapon Meister on his inability to gather Kishin Egg or Evil Souls by himself. Blackstar sent a glare Ragnarok’s way as the Demon Sword smirked in amusement.   
  
Liz uneasily hugged herself, eyes constantly darting around the area, "C-Can we just go now? We did our mission." She didn't want to stay around and find out if there were any more bloodthirsty, people-eating monsters. Her encounter with that one Madagascar Tree was enough.   
  
"You guy go on ahead; I'll catch up. I have to confiscate these souls." Kid stated.   
  
"While you do that, I'll go let know Lord Death know of our success." Maka said, walking off to the side as she retrieved a handheld mirror from the inside of her coat.   
  
Everyone else nodded and walked away at their own pace. Kid turned to the floating Kishin Egg Souls and stared at them hard. Evil Humans and Monsters were no strangers to the missions he was sent on. Plants, however, were an entirely different story. This was his first time hearing about ferocious plants capable of eating other entities, souls and all. In fact, how did plants get the ability to eat such matter, move, and develop advanced souls in the first place? Was this an omen? Would the immediate and the distant future be full of surprises like this?  
  
_Why can't I shake the feeling this won't be the first time I'll contemplating about the future?_  
  
"Dial 42-42-564 if you want to knock on Death's door." Maka wrote down the numbers on the foggy mirror. Once that was done, a few resounding pings were heard as the mirror glowed. Soon enough, a tall figure in black that wore a rather cartoonish, white skull mask appeared on the screen.  
  
"Hello there, Maka! How’d the mission go? Were those pesky trees a problem?"   
  
Maka shook her head, "Oh, not at all, Lord Death. I'm here to report that we took care of all of them. Kid's getting the souls, and we're heading back to Death City right now."  
  
"That's great. I'm glad." Lord Death responded, nodding a few times, "Make sure to get some rest because I will have more missions for everyone in the not-too-distant future."  
  
"Really?" Maka asked, blinking.   
  
Lord Death nodded again, "Yes, yes. I don't know what's going on out there yet, but the activity of Kishin Eggs, Evil Humans, and Monsters seems to be increasing, and a lot of them are stronger than the usual run-of-the-mill ones we’re used to.” Lord Death found that strange. A little over two decades ago, there was a notable lack of active enemies. Now, they were coming out of their hiding spots, more dangerous than ever. “It's very troubling, but we cannot yield to them. Everyone at the DWMA must be prepared, including you. There may be even a time where you'll have to team up with someone you don't know.”   
  
As he talked, the God of Death couldn't help but wonder: was he being told something? He had lived for an extremely long time, and he had experienced many events embedded into both history and legend. Yet, there were some things left unsolved. Were the loose ends ready to be tied up once and for all? Had the gods above him decided it was time to wipe the dust off that which was outdated by time? Could old threats be coming back to haunt everyone, including himself, in the present? There was no telling.   
  
"Yes, sir!" Maka straightened in her stance and saluted him.   
  
"Take care!" Lord Death flashed a peace sign and ended the transmission. For now, he had to tend to something else, a mission happening right underneath his nose.  
  
Maka exhaled deeply as she put away the mirror, looking up to the canopy and visible sky. For as long as she went to the DWMA, droves of missions never came at her like this. And, like today, they were becoming more bizarre and dangerous in the most obscure of locations.   
  
"Mama…" The Scythe Meister's thoughts went on to her mother. She was travelling around this vast world that was apparently crying out to the DWMA for help in exterminating these menaces. 'Is she okay' was the first thing Maka always asked herself. 'When will I see you again' was the second.   
  
Maka clenched her fists and took a deep breath. Her mother was the strongest person she knew, so of course she was fine. Even in an unstable world with an unpredictable future, one single word on one postcard gave Maka the confidence to steadfastly face whatever was coming, new or old.   
  
"Maka, are you coming?"   
  
Maka turned to Kid, who had apparently completed his Konso of the Kishin Egg Souls, and nodded fervently. "Yeah! Let's go!"  
  
Courage. 

* * *

  
At seven PM, the streets of Death City became so quiet one could near a needle drop. The moon ceased its snickering, the streetlights flickered on, and a few stars dotted the black and purple night skies. This was a typical evening in Death City. Citizens began winding down at these hours.   
  
Walking down one of the calm streets of Death City, trying to get home to retire for the night, was an innocent family of three – a husband, wife, and young child. "Hey, mommy?" the child piped up, turning to gaze at his mother with wide blue eyes, "Can we see auntie and uncle again later this week?"   
  
The mother looked down at her son and smiled, "Well, if your father is fine with that, then sure." She looked at the man beside her, and he nodded his approval, meaning that the boy would have his wish. The child beamed as a wide smile appeared on his youthful face, anticipating another great visit just like tonight.  
  
When the family passed an alley, they did not notice a pair of gleaming red eyes peering at them from the shadows. "I hunger for souls." A deep, otherworldly voice rasped bloodthirstily. The being inched out of the alley, dragging its metallic stringer across the ground. It kept its sight set on its targets using the eyes resting on a metallic mask that stretched from an ecru, scorpion body.  
  
Even at home in Death City, Kishin Eggs roamed. It was a particularly bold move to attack where their hunters lived, yet the strategy worked for that very same reason. No one expected them, so a few Monsters and Evil Humans in past were able to get away with some crimes. This one was hoping to repeat its predecessors’ success.   
  
"I want…your souls…!"   
  
In barely a second the family froze, their heartbeats beginning to race as their blood ran cold. The deep and menacing voice was very close. When they turned around, they found themselves staring right in the fearsome face of the monster, its stinger aimed directly at them. Their eyes shrunk as spikes of fear ran through them, electrifying every nerve in their body. The moon in the background smiled devilishly as blood dribbled from its mouth. Husband, wife, and child all screamed and huddled together as the stinger came down.   
  
_CLANG!_  
  
Time seemed to stop when a single rock clattered against the cobblestone directly below the monster's face. The family of three slowly opened their eyes and looked, trying to figure out why they weren’t dead. Something had ceased the stinger's advancement. The monster slowly looked down at the rock. The mere fact that someone threw that at its face was extremely demeaning. Someone dared to threaten it with such a meager object. A small, frustrated snarl escaped it.  
  
"Eyes over here."   
  
Scorpio looked toward the staircase on its left, allowing the family the opportunity to grab their child and run off. There were two people standing by the streetlight at the top of the. One tossed two stones up and down while leaning against the rail as the other stood straight up.  
  
"So that’s Scorpio." The one with the stones remarked, pushing his thin, rectangular-framed glasses up the incline of his nose by the bridge, "According to the mission specs, it attacks groups of victims, probably to get a bigger number of souls to satisfy its hunger.” He was tall, sporting light bronze skin and chin-length, Air Force blue hair. His pupil-less, dark white eyes examined Scorpio with mild interest.  
  
He removed himself from the rail and faced his target, the motion causing his long, sleeveless, black coat – fastened by three buckles – to billow. "Well, only one thing left to do." He crushed the stones, allowing the residue to slip through the fingers of his white-gloved hands. Underneath his coat, he wore a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up just below his biceps and a dark blue tie. Wrapped around his forearms were bandaged arm-warmers, decorated with several dark blue arm-belts. Lastly, he had on dark blue slacks and black boots with white buckles.   
  
"Yes, Caius. We must kill it and collect its soul." Responded the girl standing parallel to him, her teal eyes glaring at the monster. The baby blue diamonds in her earrings and in the middle of her big, pink bow atop her head shined in the streetlight.  
  
She was youthful-looking, what with her 4'7" height compared to her 5'10" partner. Her long, blonde, curly hair was pinned up in the back by a Lord Death-style hair pin. Some curls hung down from it as a portion drooped down the left side of her face.  
  
Her elaborate and aristocratic attire consisted of a white, dress shirt-style bodice with a button-down front, turndown collar, long sleeves with lace, trimmed cuffs, and a neckline of complementary design. Her flattering waist-high, pink skirt featured many rows of ruffled trim at the base with a single, small bow adorning the hip. Lastly, she wore white stockings and ballet-like slippers with ribbons going up her shins and ending in bows tied at the side.  
  
Scorpio snarled, raising its razor-sharp claws. Since these two denied it of its meal, they would have to pay the price.  "So the Academy comes for me.” Scorpio’s red eyes flashed, a jagged grin stretching across its metallic face. Perhaps making an example out of these two would discourage any further attempts at its life. “I shall sink my teeth that soul until I  _can feast no more_!!!” Without warning, the monster sprinted for Caius and Claudia, its hunger reaching a fever pitch.   
  
"Let's make this quick." Caius said, raising his arm in preparation.    
  
"Right." Claudia nodded. Immediately, her entire body dematerialized into glowing light, becoming nothing more than a formless pink mass. Then, it swirled around as it inched closer to Caius's extended arm. The mass began to stretch out, still spinning in place as Scorpio took a great leap.  
  
"Are you ready, Claudia Moncharmin?" Caius asked, grabbing the spinning bar of light. When he did, the light shattered to pieces. In its wake was a long, white and gold lance with a huge, long, and sharp blade on one end.  
  
Said blade gleamed, revealing Claudia's face as she replied, "I am ready, Caius Vladingham."  
  
Scorpio finally reached Caius and shot its tail at him. However, the blue-haired meister was able to block it with the lance. "Scorpio, I will show no mercy." He spoke. Caius then swung the lance to break the clash, prompting Scorpio to leap backwards to create some distance, "I’ll be taking that life of yours.”  
  
Scorpio released a roar as he darted forward, swiping at Caius with one of its claws. However, Caius jumped up and out of the way. After landing on the ground behind Scorpio, Caius then launched himself toward it, swinging the lance and slicing off Scorpio's tail. Blood flew out from the monster’s dismembered appendage. The pain made Scorpio writhe as it let out strained shrieks and gurgles of agony.   
  
"Don’t even try to run!" Making good on his promise, Caius charged at Scorpio, not even giving it a chance to recover. Snarling in frustration, Scorpio thrust both of it claws at the oncoming Lance Meister. Claws locked with a Demon Weapon as sparks shot out from the impact.   
  
Scorpio placed of its strength in its claws, roaring with exertion all the while. It wanted to overpower this patronizing young man, to show him who ruled the night, and to make him pay for disfiguring it. Feeling his arms beginning to strain a little, Caius decided to change up his tactics. Suddenly, he jumped up and pushed himself off Scorpio, surprising it, as he headed to the nearby light pole. Flipping himself into a proper position, he planted his feet on the streetlight and shot himself at Scorpio.  
  
“It’s over.” On the rebound, Caius drove the lance right into Scorpio, metal tearing through its hide and the soft organs that lied beyond it. The start of yet another ear-splitting shriek escaped it before thick blood choked it. The force of the impalement caused Scorpio to fall its back. Realizing this blow hadn’t quite kill Scorpio yet, Caius adjusted himself so that he was standing on the cobblestone adjacent to the twitching monster and savagely ripped the lance out of it.   
  
Scorpio's body soon disintegrated into darkness. As it did so, Caius raised his weapon and performed a cutting motion, the blood flying from the lance, returning it to its flawless, white and gold state. When he turned around, Caius exhaled lightly and smiled at the sight of a red, floating soul. He held the lance out it and declared, "Eat up, Claudia. Our thirty-first soul."   
  
Claudia's upper body appeared out of the glowing lower half of the lance, reaching out and taking the Kishin Egg Soul into her delicate fingers. “Caius, did you bring the lemon?" she asked, staring directly into the red soul, "You know I can't eat it without a pinch of lemon to give it a nice flavor."  
  
"Sure did." Caius reached into his coat and withdrew a bag that harbored a single lemon wedge inside it. He took the lemon wedge out with two fingers and extended it to her, "Here."  
  
Claudia accepted the lemon with her free hand. "Thank you.” She squeezed it, letting the yellow fruit release its juices onto the Kishin Egg Soul. She tossed away the wedge and proceeded to swallow the soul whole, taking out a handkerchief afterwards to pat her mouth. "So delicious!”   
  
"68 more souls remain. Then, a witch's soul.” Caius announced, "At this rate, I'll turn you into a Death Scythe before anyone knows it."   
  
Claudia’s still-transformed lower body glowed as it released itself from Caius's grasp. She finally turned fully back to normal as she replied with a confident grin, "Oh yes! I just can't wait! I, Claudia Moncharmin, will be one of Lord Death's weapon! I can't wait for that day!" She could see it now; the legendary God of Order wielding her lance form in the same manner and style as it wielded his current Death Scythe. For a Demon Weapon, that was the highest honor one. She clasped her hands together and looked at Caius, "Speaking of Lord Death, let him know we’re done. I will notify Watson to pick us up." Midway through her statement, she took out her cell phone.  
  
“Hopefully he arrives quickly enough.” Caius turned away to go find a window, “I want to see if I can finish that movie and see if those guys find a cure to that Geostigma.”  
  
Both the call to Lord Death and to Watson were short and to the point. Within minutes, a gold and red Elizabethan carriage rolled up in front of the staircase. “Our ride has arrived! We better head off, darling~" Claudia skipped down the stairs and entered the carriage. As she and Caius situated themselves on the comfortable red seats, Claudia she spoke to the driver, "Home we go, Watson!"  
  
The gray-haired, 60-year-old man in the driver seat looked at the two via the rearview mirror and nodded, "Yes, Madam Claudia." The carriage jerked slightly, signaling that it was now running. "So, how was the hunt?" Watson inquired.   
  
Claudia was more than happy to give him the details, "It went splendid! We now have 31 souls."   
  
Watson nodded, "Excellent." Remembering something, the family servant then told the young girl, “Oh, by the way, Miss Claudia, Mr. and Mrs. Moncharmin will not be home tonight."  
  
The radiant smile on Claudia's face instantly disappeared as she looked at the back of her driver in disbelief, "W-what?! Why not?!"  
  
"Something had come up, and they have to investigate further. So, their trip home has been delayed and their work extended," Watson explained. He noticed the blond girl's downcast expression and apologized sincerely, "I am sorry, madam. It’s simply their job."  
  
"No…" Claudia's head lowered, "No, it's alright. I understand."  
  
Caius had quietly listened to the short exchange. He propped his leg up on the seat as he gazed out the window next to him, watching Death City pass by. "Your parents seem to be hard at work."  
  
Claudia immediately straightened her posture, “Of course, Caius. They must work hard in order to make sure that nothing bad happens. They are Meister and Weapon like we are after all. They just have a different sort of role." Claudia was always proud to announce why her parents were so busy; it acted as a source of inspiration to her.  
  
"Well, that's good. They're doing excellently, it seems." Caius looked at the Demon Lance and smiled. Just then, something began bothering him in the deep recesses of his mind when the subject of parents, and by extension family, came up.   
  
_"These are eyes that have seen true despair. Everyone in this pathetic world will soon know that hope does not exist. A new world is at hand... And I offer up yours lives, Vladinghams!"_  
  
One of the many things that damned Witch said during that day. Her voice, quiet but purposeful, haunted him ever since his orphan status was ever so graciously bestowed upon him by her. It fueled his drive to become stronger yet reminded him of his unquenchable sadness. To make sure Claudia couldn’t see his face, Caius quickly looked out the window again. "Of course, it's always the daughter's job to surpass them." He added, his voice lowering.   
  
"Well, of course!" Claudia said in a chipper voice. She did not recognize the change in Caius's mood and tone, "I am a Moncharmin after all. I must be the best! But with your help, of course, we will be the best team in the Academy!" She then narrowed her eyes, scowling as she recalled potential obstacles to such an ambition, "Better than that stupid girl Maka." Her frown disappeared when she sighed, "I feel so sorry for Soul. He's just...too cool for her!" She blushed, thinking about the albino-haired Demon Scythe, who probably was the most determined Demon Weapon in terms of becoming a Death Scythe. That was one of his many characteristics that endeared her. "Oh, Soul, if I were a monster, I would gladly let you have my soul so we could become one~"   
  
"Er… right…" Caius listened to Claudia fawn over Soul, his blank eyes continuing to stare out the window. He could see the Moncharmin Mansion in the distance. Truthfully, he wanted to contribute to the conversation but wasn’t able to,  _" Well, I can't say anything because I hardly know anyone in the Academy."_     
  
...  
  
...  
  
_His body burned with pain. The cool metal of the needles that had punctured his body made sure of that. Anything so much as a twitch released a surge of agony throughout his body. The cold Russian weather was brutal and unforgiving, weakening what little fortitude he had left. He felt like a prisoner in his own village, stuck to the surface of a house by the very same needles that clearly were meant to kill him.  
  
It was dark and raining. Even the heavens were weeping as they witnessed this tragedy. The ground was filled with debris, dead bodies, melted snow, and blood. Even through the murkiness and his fading vision, he could see something approaching him that filled his heart with absolute dread and despair.  
  
A witch dragging the body of his oldest sister, impaled by needles.  
  
"Lady Cancer Lucrenian…The DWMA has just arrived in Rozniak."  
  
"But there is one more. I explicitly said no survivors."   
  
"Will you survive when faced with a crowd of the DWMA's best?"  
  
"…Hmph. All of this on display will let the DWMA know who they are dealing with. They shall live with the possibility that everyone they know and love might die should they get in my way, just like this family."_  
  
…  
  
…  
  
Caius closed his dark white eyes, resting his forehead against the cool surface of the window,  _"None of them are my friends...just classmates and acquaintances... "_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, I'd like to give a shoutout to HopeDiamond101, who is not only helping me craft this story but also for providing characters for it. You see, this originally started as an RP. Then it became a draft. Then I decided to make a full-fledged story out of it.
> 
> Also, please note that formatting in Fanfiction (dot) net won't allow me to put the trademark star in Blackstar's name. I would if I could but you know. Don't know if Archive of Our Own or DeviantArt will do it, but I want to stay consistent. Plus, "Blackstar" is easier to type out anyway.


	2. A Lesson in Synchronization: The Brother and Sister of the Gemini

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A powerful and tricky combination of monsters teaches Maka, Soul, Caius and Claudia the power of teamwork. It works for bad guys too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). As of this chapter, material owned by me is Caius Vlandingham and the Gemini; and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt owns Claudia Moncharmin.
> 
> Edit (2/14/2015): I've heavily modified the first half of this chapter to better reflect continuity and to structure it better.

**A Lesson in Synchronization: The Brother and Sister of the Gemini**  
  
_Month 1, Week 1, Day 2 (Tuesday, January 2nd)_  
  
_Ding. Dong. Dong. Ding._  
  
It was 7:45 in the morning. At Death Weapon Meister Academy, nothing out of the ordinary was happening. Students were either on their way to class or were already in their homeroom. Most of the Academy teachers were strict about tardiness, and no one wanted to experience the consequences of arriving after the eight o’clock late bell. Including Maka and Soul.  
  
Even with the late bell approaching closer by the second, Maka would not allow herself to slow down. The Scythe Meister ran up the school’s tall staircase, huffing and puffing as she tightly hugged her books close to her chest. “Oh, man! We're going to be late for Professor Stein's class!” Her voice was slightly muffled because of the half-eaten toast clenched between her teeth. One second, Maka was sleeping like a baby. The next, Soul charged into her room telling her that they both had overslept. “Soul! This is all your fault! I have _never_ been tardy to his class before!”  
  
Soul scampered by her, his disheveled hair pointing in every direction and his zipper undone. His backpack, slung over one arm, was open with his books threatening to fall out as he ate cereal. In between bites and slurps he retorted, “My—! Fault—!? _You’re_ —! The—! One—! That—! Forgot—! To—! Set—! Her—! Alarm—! Clock—!”  
  
“That alarm you got for me happens to be _broken_!”  
  
They continued sprinting through the front doors, into the hallway, and by the scores of people taking their time or in a rush like them. They decided to take the hallway where the mission board lied, being one of the fastest routes to Class Crescent Moon.  
  
“W-We’re getting there, Soul!” Maka informed, thankful for the relative lack of people in this particular area.  
  
“Maka, slow—! Down! Stein's probably—! Not even—! There—!” Soul finally finished his breakfast and carelessly flung the empty bowl over his shoulder. He then proceeded to fix his hair, adjust his headband, and zip up his zipper, finally looking decent.  
  
Said bowl smashed into Hiro’s face, forcing the blond boy to collide into the nearby wall. “Oh... Ow... What hit me?” He groaned, seeing stars.  
  
Jerking her head upward, Maka’s toast flew into her mouth, and she swallowed it in one gulp. “Almost there! If nothing else happens, we’ll—”  
  
" _Yahooooo_!"  
  
Apparently class was the last thing on Blackstar’s mind. He sprinted by Maka and Soul at high speeds, almost causing them both to topple over each other. However, Soul’s books fell from his backpack, and Maka lost her hold on hers. “ _Blackstar_!” The pair shouted, glaring at the assassin as he skidded in front of the bulletin board.  
  
"Stand back! For I am the great assassin Blackstar!" The arrogance radiating from Blackstar’s voice could move mountains. He stood with a large grin stretched across his face and one of his arms outstretched, having pushed aside whoever was in his way so that he could see the bulletin board himself.  
  
Claudia was that person, and she didn’t take too kindly to Blackstar’s rude actions. " _Hey_! I was standing here, you jerk!"  
  
The blue-haired boy looked down at the short blonde with his grin still plastered on his face, placing his fists on his hips. "Whoops! Didn't see ya! I was too busy being awesome!" His inconsideration elicited a growl from the Moncharmin.  
  
By the time Maka and Soul gathered their fallen textbooks, they could hear the commotion. They looked to see Claudia trying to lecture Blackstar, who was too busy looking for missions. “Oh great. Not her.” Maka sighed. Bratty Claudia in the same room as arrogant Blackstar was a recipe for disaster.  
  
“Yo. Who’s the dude with Claudia?” Soul pointed out, “Never seen him before.” True enough, there was a guy watching the two bicker, wearing a simple blue suit and vest, a white shirt underneath, a pair of black trousers, and shoes. He stood off to the side, watching them quarrel without trying to pacify it.    
  
“That’s odd. I thought she didn’t have a partner.” Maka examined Caius. Claudia tended to make herself known around the school, being a part of the Moncharmin Family and all, so it was strange seeing someone with her. Perhaps he was new to the school. “But forget about them, Soul! We gotta get to class!”  
  
“Oh shoot, you’re right!” Soul quickly zipped up his backpack and slung it back over his arm. They couldn’t let themselves get distracted by this detour. “Hi, Tsubaki! Bye, Tsubaki!” He said as he and Maka dashed past the Shadow Weapon, who headed over to Blackstar.  
  
"Blackstar! Be careful! You could've hurt someone!" Tsubaki admonished.  
  
"Oh, you worry too much, Tsubaki." Blackstar replied, waving her and her worries off.  
  
"Tsubaki is right!" Claudia pointed at the ninja. "You need to be careful, Blackstar. Otherwise, you will feel my wrath!"  
  
Blackstar looked at Claudia with a raised eyebrow and laughed. "Oh, really? And what are you gonna do, shorty? Can you even fight? You look like you belong in elementary school."  
  
Claudia released a long, drawn-out, offended gasp. "How _dare_ you! Do you know who I am?! I am Claudia Moncharmin! The daughter of Claude and Diana Moncharmin, who happen to be graduates of the DWMA and one of the best Meister and Death Weapon teams of France! Mess with me, and you'll be sorry!"  
  
To show how much he really care about her rant, Blackstar began picking his nose. "Uh-huh. Sure."  
  
Claudia grimaced. "You are so _disgusting_."  
  
Tsubaki was at a loss for words. She could usually handle Blackstar by himself, but with Claudia in the equation, it was hard getting them both to stop. Caius himself sensed the negativity between Blackstar and Claudia. Enough was enough. “Are you two just about done? We're all here for a reason. Let’s not forget it.”  
  
Claudia, still miffed at Blackstar, huffed and looked away with crossed arms. The blue-haired assassin looked at Caius, not recognizing him at all. "Do I know you?"  
  
Before Caius even opened his mouth, Claudia stepped in, "You idiot! This is my meister partner, Caius Vladingham! Remember our names, for we will become an elite team, and I will become one of Lord Death's Death Scythes!"  
  
Blackstar looked down at the blond girl and wanted to laugh at the audacity of her boast. He grinned challengingly. "Oh yeah? Not if Tsubaki and I have anything to say about it."  
  
Claudia huffed again. “Please don't because your breath stinks."  
  
Caius pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, getting tired of this whole thing. Tsubaki saw the gesture and felt responsible for Blackstar's behavior. She walked up to him and said gently, "I'm sorry about Blacktstar. Really, he's a nice guy inside."  
  
Caius looked at her and replied, "It's no big deal. I apologize on Claudia's behalf as well." He then remembered how Blackstar referred to this woman when she first came over. "I assume you're Tsubaki, right?" When she smiled and nodded, Caius smiled back. "Nice name."  
  
Claudia tore her attention away from Blackstar and looked to the bulletin board in hopes of finding a worthy mission. _"I hope you lose all of your Kishin Egg Souls, you jerk."_  
  
"Anyway, let's—" Conveniently after Claudia finished her thought, Blackstar accidentally sneezed on her. "Ah man. What was that?" He sniffed, rubbing his nose.  
  
Claudia froze as her eyes shrunk to the smallest degree. “Oh… my… God…” Her voice was equivalent to a squeak. This boy had placed his germs upon her. Many, many germs. The girl then broke out into a dead sprint down the hallway, “ _Ew ew ew ew ew ew_! _He sneezed on me_!" She didn’t care who was in her way. She needed hot water and disinfecting soap right _now_.  
  
Blackstar, oblivious as always, simply watched the blonde girl run off. "Jeez, what's her deal?"  
  
Tsubaki covered her mouth with a look of empathy on her face. "Poor Claudia. I’ll go check up on her.”  
  
Before she took her first step, Caius stretched out his arm and stopped her. “That’s alright. I got this. You two worry about yourselves.”  
  
“O-OK.”  
  
Caius promptly walked off to attend to his partner. Once he was gone, Blackstar raised his arms behind his head as he turned around and sauntered off with purposeful stomps. “Well, I guess we’re sitting through another boring lecture today. Let’s go, Tsubaki.”  
  
“Coming!” Tsubaki quickly jogged after her departing partner.  
  
Soon, Caius caught up and stood outside the girl's bathroom, waiting for Claudia to get over what happened. "Come on, Claudia! Hurry up, or we'll be late for first period! I don't want my perfect attendance to be broken!" He yelled loud enough so she could hear inside the lavatory.  
  
Inside, Claudia furiously scrubbed her face and hair, trying to eradicate every trace of Blackstar's germs. "You weren't sneezed on! Who knows, I might have caught the idiot syndrome!"  
  
Caius stared blankly at the door. "Do you listen to yourself talk sometimes?" He asked, wanting an honest answer.  
  
Claudia at long last emerged from the bathroom, placing her arm over her head and arching her back. "Oh I feel so weary!" She then grabbed Caius's hand and placed it on her forehead. "Do I have a fever? Are my eyes red? Oh my goodness, what is my name? I can’t remember my name!"  
  
Caius hung his head low, unable to really do anything without his sanity and maturity being at risk. "You are piece of work.”

* * *

  
  
The students of Class Crescent Moon prepared themselves for today's lecture in different ways, constructive or otherwise. Maka took out her books, paper, and pencils. Soul and Blackstar sat in their seats with their feet propped up and arms behind their heads. Kid adjusted his utensils so that they had vertical symmetry. Patty doodled in her coloring book. Liz laid back in her seat, polishing her nails. Everyone else was doing something similar, such as flipping through notes, or something different, like sleeping to pass the time, waiting for Stein to come.  
  
Caius and Claudia were among the last to arrive, still on time. "Caius, did you remember to bring my books and things?" She asked, carrying absolutely nothing except her own body weight.  
  
Caius shifted a large backpack hanging over his right shoulder. "Yours and mine."  
  
_“Professor Stein’s late as usual.”_ Soul exchanged glances between two of the possible entrances. The thought made him a little mad, considering all the madness he and Maka went through just to get here on time. _"Maybe he's not going to—"_  
  
At that very moment, the doors flew open as Professor Franken Stein zoomed into the classroom, sitting backwards in his caster-wheel chair, and positioned himself behind his desk. "Good morning, class," he greeted, his glasses glinting a little in the lights.  
  
"Good morning, Professor Stein."  
  
Stein reached up to crank his bolt clockwise a few times. "Alright, now this subject may seem a bit redundant to some of you, but in light of what happened several weeks ago, Lord Death thought it’s best we teach you about Demon Tools.”  
  
Kid propped his elbows while interlacing his fingers. _“I wonder if Father believes there are more out there?”_ He thought, recalling a few assignments that required him to capture Demon Tools like the Eternal Spring and the Key. The young Reaper absentmindedly reached into his suit, feeling BREW inside it. For reasons unknown, Lord Death entrusted BREW to him of all people after the war with Arachnophobia.  
  
"In short, Demon Tools are magical artifacts capable of achieving the normally impossible by any scientific means.” Stein explained as students, particularly those who didn’t know the objects existed, jotted down notes. “I’m sure most of you know this, but a lot of us went on a mission quite a while back to get one of these Demon Tools.”  
  
“He’s talking about the Lost Island mission in Alaska,” Kid spoke up, informing those unaware of the situation, “While we failed to get the Demon Tool BREW, I’m sure you remember Medusa appearing at our Academy’s very doorstep.”  
  
It was ironic how much Medusa actually helped the Academy retrieve BREW. In exchange for a deal, she offered the real version of BREW along with information vital in stopping Arachnophobia. In spite of all that, Arachne, some assets of Arachnophobia, and Kishin Asura managed to escape. Even several weeks later, people were on edge.  
  
Students started to murmur. What could Arachne possibly be doing now? And what of Asura? It was reasonable to assume they were both hiding, plotting, waiting for their next chance to strike down the Academy. Would they be ready for their next assault?  
  
"Let’s get back on topic,” Stein said, reclaiming order in his classroom, “That’s why we’re teaching you all about Demon Tools now so you can bring them here when you find one. Demon Tools look simple. They can be mistaken for things like keys, gears, and padlocks. But some Tools have an ‘E’ signature or insignia on them and seem to have a distinct look to them. So I think you’ll know one when you find it."  
  
Stein paused to scan his class and saw Claudia raising her hand. "Yes?"  
  
"Professor, why do such things even exist?" She asked.  
  
Stein answered the question to the best of his ability, "Their existence is a mystery in and of itself. But I will say this, think of their existence as a natural thing. Like oxygen, we don't question why it exists because it’s so helpful."  
  
Still curious, Claudia asked another question, "Will these Demon Tools give someone extraordinary powers?"  
  
“Well, an actual person is a stretch. Most of their utility hinges upon machinery and technology.” Stein replied, starting to spin around idly in his chair. “And, usually, it’s based on the object they look like. Keys are meant to be put in locks. Engines are meant to run. Theoretically, said key could possibly open any lock. Of course, we still don’t know much about them, so I wouldn’t be surprised if a person could get more powerful with a Demon Tool.”  
  
Kid once again touched BREW. _“I wonder if this thing can do that… Father didn’t get much of an opportunity to use it himself since Arachne and the Kishin escaped.”_ Kid wondered if that was why Lord Death gave BREW to him.  
  
Stein spent most of the time answering questions and explaining things the best he could. When he was satisfied, he then announced, "Well, I suppose that's it for today. Take the rest of class period to look over what we talked about in the past sessions. We will have a cumulative test in two weeks." The announcement caught the class's attention. Any student on the face of Earth dreaded an upcoming test due to the massive impact it had on their grades.  
  
"Say wha? A test? Oh great." Liz groaned as she rested her chin in the hand of her propped arm. She was one of those students who religiously performed subpar on tests. Patty, flighty as always, hummed to herself, not even aware of what was just said.  
  
"At least we have two weeks. Last time, he only gave us three days," Kid responded, recalling the large number of failing grades.  
  
_"In two weeks? Better start studying now."_ Maka thought. From experience, waiting until the last few days to study was bad practice. Doing it now was the best move. She had plenty of time to comfortably look over her materials. _"So I can surpass_ him _."_ Maka glanced over to Ox Ford, who was conversing with his weapon partner, Harvar. As far as she knew, Ox was the only student in her class with grades comparable to her and was her main obstacle in trying to be at the top.  
  
_Ding. Dong. Dong. Ding._  
  
"Have a nice day, class. Don't forget to study and do just as well in your other classes!" Stein said encouragingly as he kicked off his desk and rocketed toward the exit. The wheels of his chair caught the ledge, and he fell over on his back.    
  
Maka gathered her belongings and stood up. "Okay, Soul, wanna be my study partner?"  
  
Soul shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "Not much of a choice I got, is there?"  
  
Maka eyed him as she asked, "You wanna do well on the test, don't you?"  
  
Soul thought about it. He needed to do significantly better since he performed dismally on the last couple of tests. "Well, you got a point there."  
  
Maka nodded and smiled. "Then it's settled! We study tonight."  
  
The Demon Scythe wasn’t in the mood to raptly study for a test two weeks in advance. Thinking quickly, he then said, "You do realize we have two whole weeks to study for it, right? There's no rush, Maka. It’s not the Super Written Exam. It’s just a regular old test."  
  
Maka considered Soul's words. Now that she realized it, unless it was a very major exam, she needed only a few weekdays and a weekend to achieve a perfect score. She sighed in defeat. "I guess you're right. We can study tomorrow. But!” She then narrowed her eyes at him, not unkindly. “When we do, you better be serious. I’m gonna be on you like a hawk.”  
  
Soul chuckled. "If you say so."  
  
“Maka Albarn and Soul Eater of Class Crescent Moon, please report to the Death Room immediately.”  
  
“Don’t tell me Lord Death’s got _another_ one for us,” Soul complained as he stretched his back. Only a day after the mission in Madagascar, on New Year’s Day no less, and they were probably going to be sent somewhere else to take on yet another strong Kishin Egg. “Geez. Only been in school since the 29th, and we’re already being worked like dogs. Not cool.”  
  
“Well, if he does, let’s not keep him waiting.” Maka grabbed her books. First, it was off to her locker to put these away. Then, she had to get her battle coat and put it on. Finally, they would go to the Death Room to see what Lord Death had in store for them.

* * *

  
  
"Why, hello! Hello! Thanks for coming in, Maka and Soul. Are you ready for your mission?"  
  
The pair approached Lord Death as Maka asked, “Well, yes, sir, but what’s it about?”  
  
“There is a Monster in Madrid, Spain called the Gemini that’s being a tricky little pest,” Lord Death explained, tapping his mirror. A view of the city appeared on-screen, “Naturally, I want you two to show ‘em who’s boss. But you won’t be doing it alone. I’ve asked for another team to help out.”  
  
“Who? Blackstar and Tsubaki?” Soul assumed it was them because Lord Death knew the four of them went on most missions together and generally did well.  
  
"Not this time." Lord Death looked behind the pair and saw two figures approaching, He clapped his large hands together. “And here they are!”  
  
Maka and Soul curiously turned around to see who their partners were. They were face-to-face with Claudia and that man they saw with her earlier. Soul thought it was an interesting change of pace, but then he noticed Maka and Claudia staring at each other without saying a single word. Before Soul even opened his mouth, they finally made some noise.  
  
“ _What_?!"  
  
Maka and Claudia pointed at each other accusingly, looking at a confused and surprised Lord Death as they spoke simultaneously, "You expect me to work with this brat/peasant?!" Upon hearing the insults, they focused their glares back to one another. "Who are you calling a brat/peasant?! You! _Why you_!"  
  
Soul stared at the arguing females with his usual apathetic expression. _“What’s up with the bad blood?”_ The Demon Scythe then saw Caius standing there looking expressionlessly at the girls. “Hey. Who are you?" Soul inquired. Might as well find out his name.  
  
Caius replied without looking at Soul, "Caius Vladingham. Claudia's partner." This would in fact be his first mission explicitly working with a team. He simply preferred doing missions on his own and disliked involving others in his affairs.  
  
Soul’s jaw dropped. "No way."  
  
"With all due respect, Lord Death," Maka complained, " _why_ do we need to work with them?"  
  
"I agree! Caius and I can take care of the situation ourselves!" Claudia protested. She then looked at Soul, smiling softly at him in hopes of appearing cute in his eyes despite her brief spat with Maka. "No offense to you, darling~"  
  
As Soul turned his head away with a sneer, Lord Death explained himself, "This monster is very powerful, judging from the content of its soul. If you go alone with your respective partner, you won’t defeat it. So that's why I paired you four up."  
  
Claudia pouted, still not keen to the idea of teaming up with Maka. "But Lord Death!"  
  
The masked man held up his large, white hand, putting a stop to anymore complaints. "Now, now. Don't be that way. I am counting on you guys to get the job done, so I suggest you all get along. Okay?"  
  
Dissatisfied, Claudia crossed her arms and huffed. Maka and Soul were expressionless. Caius could feel the tension still in the air. Even though he didn’t like the situation, Caius realized he and Claudia were stuck with Maka and Soul, so he tried to break the ice, "So...”  
  
Maka and Soul looked at him.  
  
Caius offered a lopsided smile.  “One of you know how to speak Spanish?”

* * *

  
Flying high in the sky was the Moncharmin private jet, trying to get to its destination of Madrid, Spain as soon as possible. Inside, the passenger area was decorated with red carpet and amber, leather seats. Caius and Claudia sat across from Soul and Maka in one section. Even now, Claudia was pouting childishly at the idea of teaming up with Maka. Caius gazed out of the window beside him so that he wouldn’t have to look at the other pair. Soul was napping and snoring noisily, head laid back. Finally, Maka was sitting there quietly, glaring at Claudia.  
  
A female flight attendant walked up to the four, addressing Maka first, "Would you like anything, ma'am?"  
  
The Scythe Meister sighed and looked at her. "Water, please."  
  
The flight attendant nodded and then looked at Caius and Claudia. "And you, Madame Moncharmin? Mr. Vladingham?"  
  
Claudia, still pouting, answered, "Apple juice."  
  
"Water." Caius replied, still looking out the window.  
  
The flight attendant nodded and looked at Soul but saw he was asleep. Not wanting to disturb him, she simply walked off, leaving them alone again. Maka looked around, noting the generally extravagant appearance of the interior. This was her first time flying first-class to a mission. Usually, she and Soul would be transported by authorized DWMA vehicles and then get around the mission site using Soul's motorcycle. This was nothing compared to that.  
  
Maka decided to strike up a conversation, seeing as her partner was asleep. "Do you always do this?"  
  
“But of course.” Claudia finally ceased her pouting. "Caius and I only deserve the best when going on missions. I'm sure a peasant like you wouldn't understand."  
  
The Scythe Meister narrowed her eyes. "Well, excuse me for living the lifestyle I have. Besides, this is all excessive anyway."  
  
Claudia haughtily flipped her hair. "Like I said, you wouldn't understand. You've always been jealous of me. That's why you had to push me and ruin my dress; to make yourself feel better!"  
  
Maka growled, recalling that day. It was one of Claudia's first days at the Academy. She slammed her hand on the armrest and retorted, "That's not true! And you know that was an accident! I even tried to help you!"  
  
"Bull crap!" Claudia spat back, pointing at the ashy blonde accusingly, "I was always prettier and more popular than you! I even have bigger boobs than you!"  
  
Maka felt a nerve snap. She hated it when Soul or Blair talked about that. "They aren't that big!" They couldn’t be, she thought. With her small frame, she would practically look malformed.  
  
Soul stirred in his sleep, being rudely awakened by the commotion. He lifted up his head, rubbing his aching neck and asked in a dull tone, "Why are you two so loud? Are we in Madrid yet?"  
  
Now that a male opinion was in the mix, Claudia capitalized on the opportunity and looked at the white-haired Weapon. "Soul! Don’t I have bigger boobs than Maka? Be honest!"  
  
Maka glared at her partner from the corner of her eyes. "Soul, if you answer that, I’ll punch you."  
  
Soul stammered, overwhelmed by the girls’ suddenness. "W-Whoa! H-Hold on a minute!"  
  
"Soooooooooooooul." Maka droned warningly, still glaring at the Demon Scythe. Claudia meanwhile gave him the puppy-dog eyes.  
  
Soul realized he should have stayed asleep. _"This is so not cool."_

* * *

  
Madrid, Spain was one of the more sumptuous sights in the entire continent of Europe. Its centuries-old architecture showed that the city had withstood the test of time. People were out and about, socializing in the streets. Fascinated tourists constantly left and entered the many buildings the city had to offer, including the late diners. Because it was nighttime, most of the crowd consisted of young and older adults hanging out with their friends. The nightlife was as vibrant as ever, gloriously alit by golden streetlights. In the middle of a busy plaza, Maka, Soul, Caius, and Claudia stood among scores of people, discussing their plan of action.  
  
“We should split up to cover as much ground as possible.” Maka explained. She then cupped her chin contemplatively. “But then what should we do when we find the monster?”  
  
"If that’s the case, then I have these. Given to me by our pilot." Claudia retrieved a flare gun from her person and handed it to Maka, "We can use this to signal each other."  
  
"Great." Maka took the flare gun and stored it away for future use. "Alright. You two go that way," she pointed eastward and then westward, "and Soul and I will go this way. And remember what Lord Death said, you can't fight it alone. We have to fight it as a team."  
  
"Right," Caius replied, adjusting his battle coat as he thought. _"The Gemini, huh? I wonder if we got ourselves a two-in-one."_  
  
That finished, the pairs separated, planning to investigate every part of downtown Madrid for the Gemini. It was almost sad seeing civilians go about their business without a care in the world, ignorant of the danger that lurked beneath Madrid’s shadow. No matter; it was the Academy’s job to worry about that. Not them.  
  
"Think we can trust them?" Soul inquired, glancing at Maka before looking back ahead.  
  
The Scythe Meister sighed. "I really don't know. I mean, Claudia can be a brat, and I don’t know what her partner is like."  
  
Soul replied earnestly, "Truth be told, I didn't know Claudia _had_ a partner. Maybe she recently met him or something."  
  
Maka tried to remember places she saw Claudia in the past to see if someone like Caius was there. "I _think_ I may have seen a face or two like his, but this is my first time actually talking and looking at him."  
  
Soul shrugged his shoulders as he stopped walking. "Who knows? But enough about that. Let’s hurry and find that monster. What's the first thing you wanna do? You wanna look at some souls first or what?"  
  
Maka nodded. "Yeah. Let's do that. We may be able to find it quicker that way."  
  
As those two went off, meanwhile, the other team had stationed themselves at a rooftop to get a better view of the surroundings in hopes of finding their target. Claudia used her eyes to aid her while Caius utilized Soul Perception.  
  
“Find anything yet?” she asked.  
  
Caius waited a moment to answer. A large number of different souls appeared on radar at the many locations. He was testing out a theory. If the Gemini involved twin entities like its namesake, could there be a soul or two of the exact same wavelength? But, alas, his search was inconclusive. "No good," he announced, displeased.  
  
"Drat." Claudia sighed resignedly. "Now what should we do?"  
  
"I've no clue," Caius muttered in reply. Just as he was about to turn off his Soul Perception, two human souls suddenly vanished. "What the-?!"  
  
Claudia whipped around to face him. "What's the matter?!"  
  
"Two human souls just disappeared out of nowhere!" Caius declared, memorizing the locations, "Come on! We have to hurry!"  
  
Claudia grabbed Caius's arm as he jumped off the rooftop. He rushed to the site as fast as he could, taking every possible alley so that he wouldn’t have to face the crowd. Soon enough, the two reached an alleyway. In it, a young man sat against a dumpster, fresh blood pooling beneath him. His face was frozen in fear, eyes staring vacantly at the ground and mouth lolled open. His torso had been torn open and cleaned out. Claudia gasped in horror at the sight, covering her mouth and trembling slightly. Caius approached the corpse to assess the damage. Then, the Lance Meister closed the man’s eyes, pulled out a ragged tarp from inside the dumpster, and covered the body with it.  
  
“Rest in peace,” he mumbled prayerfully as he stood up and walked back over to Claudia, "His soul has been taken. The killer was remarkably quick about it.”  
  
“Th-That poor boy.” Claudia couldn’t help but spare another glance to the covered body. Hopefully it would disappear soon. “We must stop this Gemini and fast! Obviously, it’s very slick!"  
  
Caius placed his hands on his hips as he thought about the situation, "Okay, this is a Gemini, so it's utilizing both parts of it. That could only explain why _two_ human souls vanished instead of just one." A frustrated growl escaped him. "But that doesn't explain why I can't detect them when they're obviously around. How is it hiding its soul?"  
  
"Hmm. This is really strange," Claudia pondered, looking at Caius, "Do you think the monster might be half-human and half-monster?"  
  
Caius shook his head as they exited the alleyway. “Can’t be. Mixed Souls are rare, and I would’ve been able to tell if a soul had both of those traits.”  
  
“Does that mean we have to wait until they kill more people?” Claudia questioned. Her body shivered at the idea. No one deserved dying at the hands something Academy students were supposed to be able to find and eliminate.  
  
“Looks that way.” Caius confirmed as he stopped walking. This would be a difficult task, but he trusted his own abilities. “We just need to move quickly. As in, as soon as I see the souls disappear.”  
  
Claudia nodded. To help with the process, she transformed into her lance form. Caius grabbed it and rested it across his shoulder. Subsequently, he reactivated Soul Perception and focused, keeping a close eye on everything around him. Just then, two more human souls disappeared, and one of the spots was close. Caius broke into a sprint. He did anything that would help him get to the spot, including running up walls and jumping from rooftop-to-rooftop.  
  
In an area isolated from the rest of the community, an imposing figure had a little girl impaled on its hand. She made strangled choking sounds. Her bulging eyes were wet with tears. The creature glanced at the soul in its other claw and then at the youth who refused to die. Tossing the soul into the space in its helmet, the monster drove its other claw deeper into her small body. The girl convulsed briefly as blood spilled to the ground and finally fell limp.  
  
"Easiest heist ever." The creature rasped, throwing aside the scrap of flesh that remained. The monster was a centaur, half ‘man’ and half beast, with a large tail and a rugged, muscular body of dark bronze. A single dim red peeked out from its helmet.  
  
"I beg your pardon, good sir?”  
  
The centaur looked over its shoulder and saw Caius. It released a low growl as it turned around to face him. It appeared the DWMA had come for him. Claudia examined the creature and gasped in alarm. "This is the monster we were looking for! I can feel it! He's evil, Caius!"  
  
Caius’s grip on the lance tightened. It was time to act. Caius charged at the centaur as it waited for him. When he was close enough, the monster threw a punch, but the meister slid underneath it to dodge. Caius continued sliding, dragging the blade of the lance along the underside of the centaur. The centaur shook violently as it felt its skin ripping open. Caius only stopped when he reached the end of the hind legs and rolled out.  
  
"You little pest.” The centaur growled, staggering forward as the pain wracked its body. “ _Learn your place_!” Its tail sprouted multiple spikes, and the creature swung it downward. Caius, however, jumped away to create distance as the tail slammed against the ground.  
  
"Careful, Caius! This one seems to have many tricks up his sleeves." Claudia said carefully.  
  
"Right."  
  
The centaur turned around as its arms sprouted spikes and fired them. _"Long-ranged now, huh?"_ Caius reflexively ducked beneath the spikes and charged for the centaur, dragging the blade of the lance across the ground as it sprayed sparks.  
  
The centaur patiently waited for Caius. When he felt jumped and aimed the lance for its head, the monster wanted to laugh. "Wrong move." The centaur pivoted its large body at unexpectedly fast speeds, striking the Lance Meister with its bulky tail and sending him to a stone wall.  
  
"Caius!" Claudia exclaimed with concern, hearing the hard thud and him choke on his breath.  
  
Caius landed into a kneeling position, using one of his hands to keep him up. "Don't worry. I'm fine." He looked up and shot a glare at the centaur. "I got something for this thing." The hand on the ground crackled with his soul wavelength. The static then ignited, engulfing his hand in blue flames. "Quo Vadis!"  
  
From the ground, several spokes of the fiery substance seen on Caius’s hand, shot up and clung to the creature. The centaur roared, thrashing but unable to free itself. "Wh-what?! What are you doing?!"  
  
Caius charged at the monster once last time and delivered a diagonal slash across its torso. The centaur released a droning groan, in so much pain from having its torso torn open that it couldn't even scream. It fell over, finally defeated. “Killing you.” Caius said as he straightened up.  
  
"Yes! You did it, Caius!" Claudia shouted happily, glad to see the monster perish. The two of them watched as the monster dissolved into darkness. Its body faded away, and not a single trace of its former existence remained. "What?!" Claudia’s profile appeared on the blade of the lance. "Where’s the Kishin Egg Soul?!"  
  
Caius franticly looked around the area and then settled at the spot where the centaur perished. "This can't be." He knew this was a Gemini they were dealing with, but one of the composites should have left behind at least a fragment of the soul. "This is impossible!”  
  
"What should we do, Caius? The Kishin Egg Soul isn't here!" Claudia said in distress. Just then, a thought came across her. Two human souls disappeared, and this was a Gemini monster. Lord Death made it a point to mention teamwork was mandatory in order to complete the mission. The problem was, in either case, the other half was missing. "Unless..."  
  
Caius looked at the lance. "Unless what?"  
  
"We have to find Maka and Soul!" she said urgently, coming to the conclusion they had to be in more danger than they were.  
  
“Ok!” Caius immediately started running, heading toward the nearest wall and scaling up it. “But where could they be?”  
  
"Well, if they were smart, they would use the signal I gave them," Claudia spoke matter-of-factly, "I just hope they haven't run into the monsters. Because I fear, if they do, they will be in big trouble."  
  
"I just hope they aren't," Caius said as he sprinted across a rooftop, "I don't want anyone dying on my watch."  
  
Claudia sighed faintly, close to fearing the worst, especially with respect to her crush, "Oh, my poor Soul. I hope he's okay. If he dies, how would I have his babies?"  
  
"…Right…"

* * *

  
  
In another part of the downtown area, Maka and Soul were hard at work themselves. Even with her more powerful Soul Perception, Maka too had a difficult time finding any clues while Soul's own eyesight failed him. Luckily, Maka noticed two human souls inexplicably disappearing, and one of the sites was nearby.  
  
"I love it when Brother and I can hunt some souls in peace." A monster cackled. It was a raven-like creature with separate arms, thin but long claws, and large wings. Lying beneath it was what used to be an old man, the body torn to ribbons and devoid of its soul. It could feel it. With every passing day, collecting soul after soul in a densely populated area, it was close to becoming a full-fledged Kishin.  
  
"There you are, you monster!"  
  
The raven turned around and hissed at the sight of Soul and Maka standing at the entrance to the alleyway. The latter pointed at the creature. "Killing innocent lives and devouring their souls. You must be punished for your crimes!" On cue, Soul's body glowed a bright blue as it morphed into his scythe form, spinning into his meister's waiting hands. Maka grabbed the scythe, gave it a spin, and then assumed a battle stance. "I hope you’re ready. Your soul is mine!"  
  
“You will not deny me the attainment of godlike power!” The monster flew straight at Maka, who responded by darting ahead as well. The avian creature dove for her, a wing outstretched. Maka quickly knelt down and took a great leap over the wing, dodging it. Maneuvering herself in midair, she turned around slammed the scythe downward before the raven could completely pass her, slicing its back. The raven screeched and fell to the ground as some of it feathers and specs of blood sprayed out.  
  
"Nice shot there, Maka," Soul remarked as his meister landed on her feet and backed up to create some distance.  
  
The raven monster growled before sharply turning around and swinging its wing, sending out several sharp feathers for the Academy student. Maka swung her scythe to knock away most of the feathers, giving her a brief chance to get out of the way. However, a few more came launched faster than she anticipated, cutting her leg. Maka sharply sucked in air, kneeling down and clutching her wound, some blood staining her glove.  
  
"Be careful, Maka," Soul said cautiously, watching the avian take flight again and faced Maka.  
  
"Having trouble, Sister?"  
  
"…Bold talk for someone who seems to have been slain. Brother."  
  
Both Maka and Soul watched with wide eyes as darkness surrounded and encircled the raven. When it dispersed, a lifeform with the body of a centaur and the wings of a raven stood in its place. Unlike with the raven, Maka could sense the soul wavelength of the entity. The Gemini had finally appeared.  
  
"And there goes our target," Soul commented guardedly, his reflection appearing on the blade of his scythe form as Maka prepared herself. Before anything was done, the Brother and Sister suddenly split into their individual forms. The Brother's tail gained spikes as the Sister's wing sprouted several sharp feathers, ready to launch them.  
  
"I suppose it's easier to pick them off one by one instead of at the same time." The Brother mused.  
  
The Sister cackled. "Funny how I was thinking the same thing."  
  
Soul gritted his sharp teeth. "Damn. Two against one aren't good odds."  
  
Taken aback by the sudden change of events Maka grip the handle tightly to relieve some tension. "Maybe it was a bad idea for us to separate. Now I see why Lord Death wanted us have another team to help." She span the scythe two times and then charged. "Let's go, Soul Eater."  
  
The Sister flapped her wings, sending out her feathers. Maka batted hem away, leapt up, and swung her scythe at the raven. However, the Brother lashed out its spiked tail from under the Sister to counter Maka's swing. She grunted as the blade clashed with the tail, landing some feet away from them.  
  
"These two are working as one.” Maka panted, keeping her battle stance. “It’s hard trying to hit one when the other will block my attacks."  
  
"Don't worry. We can do this. We've gone through tougher things," Soul said encouragingly.  
  
The Sister hissed and flapped her huge wings, heading toward Maka. The Brother backed her up by firing spikes. Maka swung her scythe to block some spikes and dodged others to the best of her ability, but when she least expected it, the Sister suddenly accelerated, ramming into her. Crying out in pain and losing a grip of her scythe, Maka hit the wall behind her hard.  
  
" _Maka_!" Soul shouted with concern, the blade of his scythe form lodged into the surface of a different wall. When he saw the monsters approaching Maka, he tried to change back, but his immobilized state prevented such. "Damn it! Where's Caius and Claudia?!"  
  
"Seems like another soul for the taking." The Sister remarked in a rather pleased tone.  
  
"Perfect. And a DWMA student at that. An even better benefit." The Brother said smugly.  
  
Maka groaned, glaring at them with one eye half-open and the other closed. She slid down the wall and landed softly on her butt. At that moment, she heard something clatter on the ground and looked down to see the flare gun. _"That's right! I can use this to call for Caius and Claudia! I just hope I'm not too late."_ She grabbed the gun, pointed it up, and pulled the trigger. The monsters wanted to laugh, registering that as a futile act of desperation. A red stream shot up to the sky and exploded in the air, showing an image of Lord Death's mask.  
  
That done, Maka rose, figuring out a way to escape their wrath and regain her weapon. She warily eyed back and forth between the monsters and Soul. The Brother gained spikes on his tail and arms while the Sister grew more sharp feathers.  
  
"Any last words?" The raven monster asked mockingly.  
  
Maka sneered, showing no signs of weakness. "Go to Hell."  
  
The Brother's eye brightened in rage. "Such hubris; your punishment await—" His was severed in an instant. The centaur roared, staggering backwards as agony rippled through his body. The separated limb twitched on the ground like a dying roach before it was swallowed up by darkness.  
  
"Brother?!" The Sister exclaimed, turning to check the welfare of her counterpart.  
  
Maka and Soul witnessed Caius land before the two monsters, hunched over as he took off his glasses to wipe off the sweat on his face. "A gentlemen shouldn't raise his arm against an unarmed lady." Panting, he straightened up and put his glasses back on. _"None of this is making any sense. I-I could've sworn I already killed that one! Why is it back?"_  
  
Maka breathed deeply, relieved that the flare gun worked. "You made it."  
  
Caius pointed his lance at the Gemini, keeping his eyes on them as he barked out, "Get your weapon! Hurry!"  
  
The Sister hissed, focusing on Maka and preparing to pursue her. "Not if I can help it!" It saw Caius get in the way, lance still extended. "Oh just die!" The Sister cawed demonically, flapping her wings and sending out a fusillade of sharp feathers at him. The Lance Meister deflected them to the best of his ability with the lance. However, cuts appeared at regular intervals on his body, unable to get them all.  
  
Meanwhile, Maka finally made it over to her scythe and pulled it out of the wall. Leaping up, she then swung the weapon downward, cleaving off several feathers and shreds of skin from the Sister. It cawed in pain, falling to the ground.  
  
Caius’s shoulders slumped in relief, thankful Maka came just in time. He adjusted his glasses by the bridge as he focused on the two injured monsters, "A Gemini monster, two different entities of the same soul. Well, we have our two entities. So where's the 'same soul?'"  
  
Soul's reflection appeared on the blade of the scythe. "Funny you should mention that."  
  
Maka explained, keeping her eyes on the recovering monsters, "Before you came, we ran into that bird and fought her. But suddenly, this centaur came out of nowhere, and they formed into one being. Only then was I able to feel its soul wavelength."  
  
Claudia's image appeared on the blade of the lance. "So you are saying that they _are_ the same soul even if they are separated?"  
  
Maka nodded. "I’m sure of it. That is why they are called the Gemini. They are one as brother and sister. And they are equally dangerous."  
  
While he appreciated the new insight to the situation, there was one question that was left unanswered for Caius, _" That still doesn't explain how the centaur reformed even after I killed it...Wait.”_ The centaur came back to life after regrouping with the raven, his counterpart and other half. According to Maka, they combined into one being but now are separate again. "One being…" he whispered and then said aloud, "I get it. These monsters are immune to death when separate because the 'same soul' doesn’t exist. If one dies, they simply come back to each other and reform. That’s when the ‘same soul’ exists."  
  
"If I'm following you correctly, we need these two to combine again before we can kill 'em,” Soul said.  
  
"That is correct," Caius answered.  
  
Now that she had a firm grasp of the situation, Maka suggested, "Let's try to overwhelm them so that they are forced to come together to defeat us. From there, we take them down."  
  
"Let's do it." Using one wrist as the center of its rotation, Caius span the lance above-head. "Ladies first unless you want me to take the lead."  
  
“I got it.” Maka kneeled down and broke out into a sprint towards the raven. "Let's do this, Soul!"  
  
"You got it!" The Demon Scythe replied as his image disappeared from the blade.  
  
Caius charged at the centaur. "Stay alert, Claudia!"  
  
"Okay!" The Demon Lance responded as her reflection vanished as well.  
  
The Brother and the Sister watched as the two humans come at them with renewed vigor. "They are trying to invoke teamwork upon us. Taking us on at the same time." The Brother noted insightfully.  
  
"Then, let us show them why we are the Gemini. No two are better than us at teamwork." The Sister said arrogantly.  
  
The Brother raised its only arm and launched spiky projectiles into the air. The Sister ascended and flapped her wings, sending out a powerful gust that increased the speed of the spikes.  
  
Caius and Maka forced themselves to slow down and hold their ground against the strong winds. _"They're trying to slow us down!"_ The male thought, trying to remain calm. Then, he saw the projectiles coming. “Head’s up!” He held out his lance out and rotated it like a pinwheel to block the spikes. On each impact, Caius skidded back a little with the gust threatening to carry him away.  
  
Maka was in a similar situation, deflecting the attack with her scythe. It was a life-or-death situation, but it was that same reality that empowered her, gave her the drive to keep at it. "We won't quit!"  
  
"Ha! Don't make me laugh!" the Sister sneered, "You cannot defeat our combined might! My brother and I have been doing this for the longest. We are perfectly in synch!"  
  
"I may not be able to see souls, but I can tell this is your first time teaming up," The Brother remarked, "Know why I can say that with certainty? You two are completely out of synch. You've no idea if you can even completely rely on each other!"  
  
Soul gritted his teeth. "Damn monsters!”  
  
Maka growled while Claudia hissed. The tables were quickly turning against them.  
  
…  
  
Back at the Academy, Lord Death expressionlessly watched the battle against the Gemini unfold in his mirror. He was so engaged in it that he didn’t notice two people entering the Death Room.  
  
"I swear, Stein, you need to get out and have some fun! I know a great place to give you entertainment~" Lord Death's personal Death Scythe, Spirit, was conversing with his former meister partner Stein as they walked in.  
  
Stein kept his usual expression, walking with his hands inside the pockets of his lab coat as he replied dully, "Spirit, your definition of entertainment is more than likely a strip club. I’ll pass."  
  
"And what's wrong with that?" the Death Scythe asked cheekily.  
  
Lord Death finally heard the two and turned around. "Oh, hey, you two. What's up?"  
  
"Nothing much, my lord. What's up?" Spirit asked casually.  
  
"Oh. Just watching Maka and Caius struggling in battle." Lord Death answered nonchalantly.  
  
"…. _What_?!" Spirit exclaimed, his overprotective father instincts activating. He rushed over to the mirror and indeed saw his beloved daughter fighting the Sister and Brother of the Gemini, _Maka_! I gotta go help her!"  
  
"Now hold on there, Spirit. You can't go help her now." Lord Death stated. When Spirit turned to him, the God of Order held up a hand so that he could continue, "First of all, they’re in Madrid, Spain. Second, she and the others need to learn something. They must be able to trust one another and work as a unit, just like the Gemini. If they don't get along and actually work together to stop them, well, then why do we even have all these EAT students?"  
  
That was the thing Spirit didn't like about the situation. His daughter was in imminent danger, and he could do nothing about it but trust in her and her teammate.  "…Maka…"  
  
"Just have faith in her. I am sure they will succeed," Lord Death said consolingly.  
  
Stein walked up to the screen, watching the Sister ram into Caius. That caused him to hit the wall pretty hard and rebound to the ground. "The Gemini, huh?" The scientist looked over to Lord Death. "If that was the case, Lord Death, why didn't you send Maka and Soul with teams they were already in synch with? Like Blackstar and Tsubaki or Kid, Liz, and Patty? Why Caius and Claudia?"  
  
Lord Death answered back in a confident tone as the screen showed Maka narrowly avoiding a storm of spikes. "Because, Stein, it teaches a lesson to not only be comfortable with your regular teams but also a team that you don't get along with. They may have their differences, but they are a team regardless, and they all agree to stand up for what is right as Academy students. And, who knows, maybe they will learn how to get along after this."  
  
"Fair enough." Stein replied, buying the explanation.  
  
"Now let us watch and observe." Lord Death said he and the other two males resumed watching.  
  
…  
  
Caius and Maka – at different positions in the alley – panted heavily as they kept their eyes on the Sister and the Brother. The monsters were gaining the upper hand due to being far more experienced in synchronization and teamwork.  
  
"It's so difficult to beat these two." Caius remarked, kneeling down. “I don’t think I’ve ever had this much trouble.”  
  
"We have to try something! We can't let those ugly things beat us!" Claudia urged.  
  
"I know," Caius replied weakly, "It's just that they really _are_ in synch."  
  
"Soul, I hate to say this, but they’re right. There’s no way we can beat them in this state," Maka said, remembering when the Sister and Brother boasted about their unstoppable combination before this scuffle started.  
  
"Hey, come on. Don't start thinkin' like that. Where there’s a will, there’s a way," Soul said supportively.  
  
Maka knew what that way was along with the consequences that came with it. “You’re right." She stood tall. "But it will take some cooperation from," she glanced Caius and the lance in his hand, "them."  
  
"That so?" Soul replied, sparing them a look as well, "Well, gotta start somewhere, right? It’s worth a shot."  
  
Maka nodded. "Right." She then walked over to them but kept an eye on the Brother and Sister in case they tried anything suspicious. "Caius. Claudia. I have an idea, but I need you two to work with us." Claudia's reflection appeared on the blade of the lance as she and her meister looked at Maka, waiting for her suggestion. "There is no way we can defeat them separate. As you see, those two monsters are totally in synch. The only way that we could possibly defeat them is that you and I, Meisters and Weapons, also be in synch."  
  
"No way! Caius and I can handle them just fine! Just give us more time!" Claudia protested, confident in their own individual abilities.  
  
Caius closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as an internal debate raged on. _"We're just working together toward a common cause. That’s it, and that's a good enough reason."_ He thought. He opened his eyes and looked at Maka. "What do you propose?"  
  
"Let's try doing Chain Resonance," Maka suggested.  
  
"What?! Do you know how hard that’ll be?! How can you expect us to do that with you now!?" Claudia objected. Indeed, Caius and Claudia were among the last people to master Chain Resonance as required in preparation to fight Arachnophobia.  
  
Maka glared at the lance and retorted, "Do _you_ have a better idea, Claudia?!" The rich girl balked at the sharpness of her voice. Even Caius looked taken aback. "Look, I know we don't know each other well or if we can pull it off in one shot. But I’m willing to try if you just work with me! We have to stop them at all cost before they go on and take more innocent lives!"  
  
Caius wholeheartedly agreed to Maka's sentiments. He remembered one of the monsters stating they had been doing this for a while. They thought it was a sport to take lives and eat their souls afterwards. Such a travesty could not go any longer, and the fact they were still alive offended him. "And that's good enough reason for me to give it a shot.”  
  
Maka smiled and nodded graciously. "Thanks."  
  
"This'll be a stretch, but we got this," Soul said confidently.  
  
Seeing this exchange, the Brother whispered at his sister, "What are they planning?"  
  
The Sister replied, "A bit too late to strategize when their deathbeds are already made out."  
  
The Brother nodded, agreeing with her statement, and added in cautiously, "Whatever the case, be ready to disrupt it. Only this time, we'll finish them off. Combatants are more likely to die from counterattacks as opposed to direct assaults."  
  
Maka turned her body and faced the two demons with hardened eyes. "Let's go! Soul Resonance!" Maka and Soul shouted. Their two souls matched each other's wavelengths and resonated back and forth between each other, amplifying their total wavelength energy to great heights. Soon enough, Soul’s blade glowed a mystic blue and white. It grew in size, becoming a large, moon-shaped blade with a red and blue face pattern on it. "Witch Hunter!"  
  
Caius rotated in the lance above his head a few times before stopping and stationing it by his side. "Let's go! Soul Resonance!" Caius and Claudia yelled. The lance glowed, enveloped by a bright, yellow light. Subsequently, it transformed into a white and gold harpoon-like missile, resting on a small golden missile launcher base that encased one of Caius's arms. "Deus Iratus!"  
  
"And it's _definitely_ too late to synch up now!" The Sister yelled mockingly, unfazed by the turn of events.  
  
"Sister! Ready yourself! Time to claim their souls!" The Brother proclaimed as it gained spikes over various parts of his body.  
  
"Chain Resonance!" Caius and Maka shouted as grayish-white soul barriers formed around them. The two meisters closed their eyes and concentrated, trying to connect to each other's Soul Resonance in order to empower one another.  
  
_"We’re in this together. It’s our duty to exterminate these things!"_ Maka thought resolutely, staying calm and learning the Caius's wavelength. Soon, a strand began to exit from the top of her soul barrier.  
  
_"Try to feel Maka's soul wavelength. Inhale and exhale…"_ Caius concentrated. A stand of his own began to extend from his soul barrier and inched toward Maka's, slowly but surely.  
  
Everyone on their side watched warily, holding their breaths as the strands came closer and closer. Within seconds, the strands finally connected and merged, releasing a powerful wave of grayish-white soul wavelength energy. Caius and Maka were now united in soul wavelength, increasing the power of each other's Soul Resonance. The effects were almost palpable as the successful Chain Resonance even unnerved the Brother and Sister.  
  
"This soul wavelength...!" The Sister grunted, recognizing the strength of the wavelength to be that of people who were perfectly in synch. Thus, it was exponentially stronger than an individual wavelength.  
  
"That's impossible. There's no way." The Brother refuted in disbelief. These two meisters were clumsy, easy pushovers just minutes ago, having no concrete evidence of any synchronization at all. Now, they suddenly had amazing synchronization that rivaled, or even exceeded, their own.  
  
"Brother! We must combine!" The Sister exclaimed urgently with the centaur nodded obediently. The two monsters dissipated into darkness only to combine into one, more powerful being – a half-raven and half-centaur demon.  
  
Maka looked at Caius with a smirk and asked him, "Are you ready to end this?"  
  
The Air Force blue-haired teen opened one eye at Maka and matched her smirk, "Ladies first."  
  
The Gemini was appalled at their cockiness, at how they honestly believed they could outmatch them – the ones who specialized in collaboration. "You wretch humans!" The voices of both the Brother and the Sister roared, gathering green and black energy in front of them to create a dense sphere of energy.  
  
Maka knelt down and launched herself toward the monster, ready Witch Hunter. "Let's do this!"  
  
"All right! Let's kick some ass!" Soul shouted boisterously, grinning wildly in his weapon form's pocket dimension.  
  
Caius steadied himself, aiming Deus Iratus at the conjoined monsters, "Looks like Spain will be having some fireworks tonight.”  
  
"Let us dispose of these monsters once and for all! Oh-hohohoho!" Claudia laughed while holding a straightened palm vertically to the side of her mouth.  
  
"DIE!"  The Gemini bellowed, thrusting forth its dense sphere of energy at the same time Maka swung Witch Hunter. Waves of light streamed out from the collision, shooting into the sky above and battering against the walls around them. Immediately, the Gemini found itself struggling to gain supremacy in this power struggle. "This is impossible! How could you have so much power?! How are you already in synch?!"  
  
"Because we are a team!" Maka retorted, "No matter of our differences, we stand for what's right and stop people like you! In the name of Lord Death, you will pay for your crimes!" She added more force onto the Witch Hunter, trying to break through the sphere and get a good shot on the monster behind it, yelling with all her might.  
  
The sphere shattered, allowing Maka the chance to finish her swing and cleave off the arms and chest of the Gemini, the Brother and Sister being consumed by the purifying light of Witch Hunter. Maka jumped away as Caius visually locked on to them. "Fire!" He yelled, firing the lance-missile as it was covered in a bright yellow light, rocketing toward the Gemini.  
  
_BOOM!_  
  
An explosion rocked the alleyway as Deus Iratus finished what remained of the Gemini. Seconds later, the smoke and dust subsided, revealing two Kishin Egg Souls floating where the Gemini once stood. Another successful mission to add to their slate. The job done, Soul and Claudia transformed out of their weapon forms.  
  
Soul gave a high five to Maka, commenting merrily, "Good job, guys! We make a pretty cool team, the four of us."  
  
"Yeah. Thankfully." Caius remarked, rubbing the back of his neck. Honestly, he felt awkward saying that, not used to celebrating with another team.  
  
"Well of course we are!" Claudia boasted egoistically, "Without us, you two would have been doomed! After all, Caius and I are the best. You just better be lucky that we were able to help, Maka."  
  
Maka twitched as she felt yet another nerve snapped temple, "Are you kidding me?! Why do you have to be such a brat?!"  
  
Caius sighed at Maka and Claudia's interaction while Soul smirked, humored. As the quartet of teenagers reveled in the success of their mission, the three back at the Death Room commented on what they saw.  
  
"Hm. So they did it. I was a bit skeptical about Caius and Claudia. As far as I know, that’s their first time working with someone else," Stein remarked and then looked at Lord Death from the corner of his eyes, "Was that intentional, Lord Death?"  
  
Lord Death shook his head, "Not really. I just thought those two teams would be great to take on the case." He looked at the two faculty members as he clapped his hands together, "Now then. How about we have some tea?"  
  
Spirit was too busy being giddy over his daughter's accomplishment to listen to Lord Death. “Oh Maka~! I knew you could do it! Makaaa~" He said contently, rocking back and forth as he sat on the platform.  
  
Stein sighed, unable to understand the mindset of parents.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me take this time to explain something. Both the concept of Kishin Eggs and Lord Death's List exist in this story. The term "Kishin Egg" refers to specific kinds of Monsters who have Kishin Egg Souls while Evil Humans have what are called Evil Souls. Meisters with Soul Perception can find Kishin Egg Souls, but only Lord Death can determine an Evil Soul. Thus, he puts them on his List. Speaking of which, Lord Death's List also functions as a "Most Wanted List". Anyone (Human, Witch, etc.) can be put on this list if Lord Death sees that they are a giant threat. 
> 
> Demon Weapons can eat either Kishin Egg or Evil Souls to reach the "99 Souls" quota. Any being is also capable of eating a Soul, which generally leads to the creation of Kishin Eggs. Though, extreme crimes such as murder and arson lead to people developing Evil Souls.


	3. Interaction: The Cruel Work of Fate?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After defeating the Gemini, the team is now stuck in Spain for a night. Should be fun, right? Maybe not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.

**Interaction: The Cruel Work of Fate?**  
  
At Madrid, Spain, the team of Maka Albarn, Caius Vladingham, Soul Eater, and Claudia Moncharmin were tasked with hunting down a monster known as the Gemini, who harvested souls two-by-two for the longest in the area. After long searching and running, they had cornered the two composites of the Gemini: the Brother and the Sister. Even then, they proved to be strong foes due to their great teamwork. However, with a single successful Chain Resonance, Maka, Caius, Soul, and Claudia were able to defeat the Brother and Sister of the Gemini, ending their reign of synchronized terror and preventing them from becoming a future Kishin.   
  
The best part was the reward of two Kishin Egg Souls.  
  
"Oooooo la la! Don’t they look so tasty?" Claudia said giddily as she stared at one of the souls, holding a lemon wedge in her hand that she retrieved from Caius. She squeezed the lemon onto the Kishin Egg Soul, causing the yellow fruit to release its liquid contents onto it. She tossed away the wedge and proceeded to eat it, humming in a satisfaction.  
  
"You got that right. Bottom's up." Soul grabbed the other Kishin Egg Soul, opened his mouth, and ate it whole, sighing contently afterwards, "A little bitter but still just as great."  
  
"That makes 32 souls for us, Claudia." Caius informed, putting his hands in his pockets.   
  
"Alright, gang, let's report to Lord Death and get out of here." Maka articulated. During the brief time between now and the destruction of the Gemini, Maka and Caius patched up some of their wounds.  
  
"And I'll be making a call." Claudia announced as she stepped off to the side. Soul stayed off to the side, waiting for everyone else.  
  
Maka walked out of the alley and to the nearest window. She breathed onto the surface to make it foggy and then wrote on it with her finger. "42-42-564 if you want to knock on Death's door."  
  
After finishing the necessary procedures, the window glowed and Lord Death appeared on screen. "Ah, hello! Hello! Mission accomplish, I assume?"   
  
"Yes, sir! We defeated the Gemini." Maka reported proudly.  
  
"Ah, excellent! Excellent!" Lord Death replied, bouncing happily in his spot, "I knew I could count on you four. Very good job."  
  
Caius appeared on Lord Death's mirror's screen beside Maka, supplementing the report with his own words, "The Gemini consisted of a "Brother" and "Sister." They each had an individual form that teamed up to reap souls at different locations. Their soul was invisible even with the help of Soul Perception, but it appeared in their combined form. Nevertheless, we figured out that they could only be killed in their combined form and destroyed them."  
  
Lord Death nodded, now understanding why the Gemini had been a problem in the past, "Ahhh, I see. Very tricky. No wonder it was hard to sense them."  
  
"MAKA, SWEETIE!" Spirit suddenly popped into view of the window screen as he gushed proudly, "I am so proud of you! I knew you could do it!"  
  
"Ugh. Not you." Maka groused, staring blankly at him.    
  
Spirit then noticed Caius and frowned in displeasure, "And who are you? You better not try to get near my daughter, you little punk!"  
  
Caius swallowed his response and nervously averted his eyes, not wanting to disrespect Mr. Death Scythe himself. Maka growled, feeling embarrassed that her teammate had to suffer under her dad’s prying. "Would you shut up?!" She demanded, stepping in.  
  
Spirit directed his attention back to his daughter, "Oh, Maka. Don't be so mean to your father."  
  
Maka rolled her eyes, "You're not my father."  
  
Her words struck like a thousand hornets. Immense shock washed through Spirit's face, his jaw hitting the floor. The redhead dragged himself away and put himself in a fetal position. He was going to sulk away this feeling of rejection. Lord Death scratched his head with a perplexed expression, "Er, anyway… see you four back at the academy." The God of Order help up a peace sign, "Take care." The transmission ended and the window screen returned to normal.  
  
"What?! What do you mean it's been postponed?!"  
  
Soul looked at Claudia, who seemed distressed as she talked on her cell phone.  Her outburst also seemed to catch the attention of Maka and Caius. They watched as she sighed in defeat, "Very well. I will see you soon." Claudia hung up and put away her cell phone, turning to her group, "Bad news. It seems our trip back home has been postponed. It appears that the jet needs a checkup, so we’ll have to stay here for awhile."  
  
Soul rubbed the back of his head, "Great. So we're stuck in Spain."  
  
"So, it looks like we'll need to check in at a hotel," Claudia suggested and then suddenly clung to Soul's arm, "I don't mind sharing a room with you, Soul~" She crooned, batting her eyelashes at him.  
  
Soul grimaced sourly, slipping his arm away from Claudia in order to regain his personal space.  Maka frowned, noticing how uncomfortable Soul looked, and shouted angrily, "He is not staying in a room with you!"  
  
Claudia groaned loudly, "Maka, why do you intend to break us up?! WE ARE THE PERFECT COUPLE!" She reached up and grabbed Soul by his cheeks, pulling them so that his face resembled that of a cute little fish, "How can you be mean to a precious face like this?"  
  
"H-Hey, cut it out, Claudia! I mean it!" Soul demanded, pulling her hands away from his face.   
  
Maka rolled her eyes, getting tired of Claudia's fanatical personality. Caius sighed and kicked invisible dust as he thought miserably,  _"Please don’t tell me the rest of the day is going to be like this."_  
  
"TO THE HOTEL!" Claudia exclaimed zealously, running off quickly while keeping a hold on Soul.   
  
"H-Hey! I can walk on my own! Not cool!" Soul complained as he was dragged off by the rich girl.  
  
"H-HEY! Get back here!" Maka ordered, chasing her. The Scythe Meister did not trust Claudia alone with her partner at all. Caius simply walked after them, hands in his pockets.   
  
Soon enough, the four made it to the AC Palacio del Retiro. The hotel demonstrated an early twentieth-century palace façade with its many columns, predominantly white color, and numerous arched windows. Inside, the hotel possessed deceptively contemporary features, such as swanky high-gloss modernist furniture and high-tech luxury technologies like immense plasma-screen TVs.   
  
Soul and Maka examined the interior in amazement. The high-class and opulent architecture far outclassed that of buildings they saw during their various missions, like in Italy or Poland. They couldn’t believe how large and spacious the lobby looked from the entrance.  
  
"Wow. It's so beautiful." Maka commented, eyes glued to the expensive and large golden-amber chandeliers hanging from the wide ceiling.   
  
Soul whistled in an impressed manner, the noise echoing slightly due to the space, "Nice dibs. Whoever built this has cool tastes!"  
  
Claudia walked up to the receptionist desk and said politely, "Excuse me, sir, I need two master suites under the name of Claude Moncharmin please." She placed a credit card on the counter.  
  
"Yes, ma'am." The receptionist said with his thick, Spanish accent showing itself. This particular hotel attracted many tourists, so most of the staff was bilingual or even trilingual. He turned in his business seat and began typing on the computer. Once the payments were made and the data submitted into the computer, the receptionist handed over two card keys in an envelope.   
  
"Thank you!" Claudia said gratefully as she took the envelope and walked back over to her group, "Alright. I ordered two master suites for us. Since Maka is being a big party-pooper, the guys will sleep in one room and the girls will sleep in the other room." She handed over one of the card keys to Maka as she whispered mischievously to Soul, "But next time, you will be mine~"  
  
It fell on deaf ears. Soul was too busy admiring the hotel’s architecture.   
  
"Now, we must get out of here at eight o'clock AM sharp. That way, we can get on the jet and head back to the Academy on time." Claudia explained further. That would give them time to get dressed, board the plane, and wait out the ride that would get them to Death City in the morning.  
  
"Alright." Caius said as he nodded. However, on the inside, he was worried. Ever since he had joined the DWMA, Caius managed to keep his perfect attendance; no tardies or absences whatsoever. It started out as a routine done unconsciously. He eventually decided to challenge himself in maintaining his streak. It was one thing he did to entertain himself since the pattern of going to class, taking on missions, and heading home proved itself to be monotonous after a while.   
  
With all these proceedings done and the night still young, there was one thing left to do in Claudia’s mind, "Now...I WANNA GO SHOPPING!"   
  
Maka knew that shopping voraciously was part of the tendencies and interests of a young and rich female like Claudia.  _"This is gonna be a loooong day."_ She thought grimly.  
  


* * *

  
  
The gang was now at a large clothing store in Plaza Norte 2 Commercial Center, the largest shopping mall in Madrid, Spain. Like the shopaholic and fashion enthusiast she was, Claudia went through the many selections of outfits with a keen eye. Maka just stood there with an unamused expression. Caius and Soul leaned against a nearby wall at different spots, the former reading a book.   
  
"Why are we here again?" Maka questioned irritably.  
  
"We are here to shop!" Claudia replied matter-of-factly, "What is the matter with you? Don't you want to have something to remember your trip in Spain by?"   
  
Maka sighed, "I guess…It's just…" she looked around and shivered at the numbers displayed on many of the price tags in the store, "This place is so expensive!"   
  
Claudia clicked her tongue, shaking her head, "Tsk tsk. I forgot that you are a peasant not accustomed to the rich lifestyle." Maka growled a little at the insult as Soul snickered, finding amusement in watching the two girls interact. Caius only rolled his dark white eyes as he flipped a page, mumbling something about immaturity.   
  
Claudia held out a red dress and pressed it against herself, "Hmm. Do you think this will look good on me?" she asked for an honest opinion.  
  
"A hippo would look better in that dress than you." Maka slighted.   
  
Claudia gasped loudly, feeling offended, "How  _dare_  you!"  She pouted and looked away briskly, Maka mimicking the gesture.   
  
The Scythe Meister then noticed Caius by himself reading a book. She decided to ditch Claudia since she was causing her nothing but strife. She was also curious as to what book Caius was reading. She approached him and asked carefully, "Hey...Caius, right? Whatcha reading?"   
  
Caius looked up from his book and gazed at Maka as he replied genteelly, "Oh, um, just reading Sonnets made by William Shakespeare."   
  
Maka arched a curious brow, "Oh? Are you a William Shakespeare fan?"  
  
"He is one of my favorites,” Caius answered, "But, really, I'm a fan of any literature. I have a whole library back home."  
  
Maka almost felt jealous, "Oh, that's cool. I don't have many books, but I do spend most of my time at the library." Her tone became calmly euphoric as she continued, "Reading all different kinds of stories and academic books to gain knowledge of the world and its mysteries. There's so much to learn and so many things to discover."   
  
"Yes, I agree. It also boosts one's own intelligence." Caius stated, putting his attention back to his book and jerking it so that it flipped a page.   
  
Maka could attest to that statement. After all, she religiously read books and was currently a straight-A student. "That's very true." Since they were on the subject of literature, she decided to strike up a conversation about one of her favorite books, "Hey, have you read a book called  _Illusions of the Mind_  by Albert Cornwall?"  
  
Caius looked up from his book and answered her, "No, actually. That one’s new to me." All the while, like a mantra, the blue-haired meister made it a point to remind himself that Maka was simply curious about his taste in literature and nothing more,  _"Not like she wants to be your friend. Just showing her the respect she deserves."_    
  
Maka took this time to explain the gist of the book, "Well, it's a great book. It talks about how your mind can play tricks on you. For example, if you get stuck in a dark room, all by yourself and it's quiet. Suddenly you start to hear things which start to scare you, but there is no one in the room but you. You see, the book explains in detail about the mind and how it functions to make you think things are there, but in reality it's just a hallucination."  
  
"So it's a psychological study if anything?" Caius conjectured.   
  
Maka nodded, "Mhm. If you like, I can let you borrow it."  
  
"Um…" Caius hesitated. He did not want to get close to anyone, but he could not help the sudden interest he found in this book. Against his better nature, he finally accepted Maka's offer, "S-Sure."   
  
"Okay. When we get back home, I'll let you borrow it, okay?" Maka stated, smiling at him.  
  
Caius gave his own smile in return, "Thanks."   
  
Meanwhile, Soul watched the two meisters interact from afar, keeping an especial eye on Caius. Curiosity getting the best of him, he removed himself from the wall and approached Claudia, “Yo, Claudia. Got a second?"   
  
The Demon Lance, who was still checking out clothing, looked at him, "Oh, of course, darling." She held up two blouses, one colored blue while the other was colored yellow. "Do you think this will look good on me? Or should I go with this blue blouse?"  
  
"The blue one," The Demon Scythe answered honestly. That done, he nodded over to Caius and asked her, "Where'd you find that Caius guy? You just met him or something? I've seen you for the longest, but I've never seen you with him."  
  
Claudia blinked in confusion, finding that to be odd, "Who? Caius? He's been going to the Academy. You and the others just haven't noticed him much. And how we met…" She thought about it, for the event was about two years ago, "Well, it was a very long time ago. He saved my life from some street punks and, in return, I let him stay with me and my family. He was an orphan when I met him. And he was also...very distant when we first met. But I broke into him and now we are great friends." The blond girl sighed sadly, "But I can't help but wonder what had happened to him and his family? And why is he the way he is now? I just hope it's nothing I can't handle because I do care for him." Her teal eyes somberly glanced over to the meister in question, "He seems to be shy since he hardly has any friends outside of the mansion. He's either with me or alone somewhere. I just wish he would lighten up and make some new friends, you know?"  
  
Soul listened to the story quietly, shoving his hands into his pockets as he eyed over to Caius once more, "Orphaned and friendless, huh?"   
  
"I really don't know what the problem is," Claudia said unhappily, "I mean, he's been with me for a long time. It must be something big because it seems like he doesn't want to get close to anyone even if he likes him or her." She perked up as she retrieved a cute dress from another rack, "There is so many things I don't know about him, but I’ll waitt. He can tell me when he's good and ready."  
  
"Yeah." Soul adjusted his headband. He remembered back when he and his friends tried to stop the Kishin revival; Maka had befriended a broken and lonesome Crona.  _"..The fear of interaction...I remember when I used to be like that."_  
  
Caius closed his book and sighed, getting rather bored with it. However, he wasn't up for meandering around the mall, given how late it was. He wanted to do some wholesome and quiet before heading to bed. He then realized that, in two weeks, there would be a cumulative test. Studying was just what he needed; however, he did not have the necessary things to do so. He glanced toward Maka, and his heart wrenched. He would have to ask her if she had the materials. As much as he didn't want to, his grades were important to him. "Miss Maka?"   
  
"Hm? What is it?" she replied, looking at him.  
  
"Did you happen to bring any material for Professor Stein's class? I was planning on studying for the test tonight after we got home. But, as you can see, there's a wedge in that plan." He explained.  
  
Maka realized something; she actually did. She too wanted to get ahead but brought the material to Spain just in case the mission took too long or extended to the following day. "Actually, I did. But I left it in the private jet. Do you think they would let me get it out?"  
  
"They should," Caius assured, "especially if you tell them that me or Claudia said you could. And I ask because I would like to use them to study." He reconsidered his words, believing they made him sound selfish, "U-Uh, that is if you're not using them! If you are, then don't worry about it."  
  
"Well, I was planning to study, too. Maybe we can study together,” Maka suggested in a friendly manner, "Let's go to the airport and grab those books. What do you say?"  
  
Caius hesitated briefly. However, again, his education mattered more than his personal feelings. His parents and grandparents always told him to prioritize education as long as the means were within legal and moral parameters. "U-Um. Sure thing." However, that did not stop him from feeling a bit uncomfortable accepting the offer, for he had yet to study with someone other than Claudia.  
  
"Alright. Now let's go get those books." Maka said as she walked out, leading the way as Caius followed her out of the store.  
  
Claudia did not notice the two meisters as she continued shopping, putting various assortments of clothing into Soul's arms without his consent. "Hmmm. This would look good with this. And OOH! This one is shiny~ These are so cute! I should try these one." She commented blissfully as she continued looking.   
  
Soul wanted to find a way to get out of this situation as soon as possible. "Uhh, yeah, that's nice, Claudia. I'm gonna check on our two partn—" he noticed they were leaving and deadpanned in horror, "HEY! DON'T LEAVE ME HERE!"   
  
Completely mishearing his cry for help for something related to her shopping, Claudia responded, "Hm? What was that? I should get this dress? OK! Now let's go!"  
  
Soul only groaned as he was helplessly dragged along.  
  


* * *

  
After getting Maka's backpack from the jet at the airport, the two meisters finally made it back to AC Palacio del Retiro. Maka and Caius took the elevator up to the master suites on the third floor. Once out, Maka walked down the hall and stopped in front of her room door.  
  
"Hmm. I wonder if Soul and Claudia returned yet." Maka pondered aloud and then looked at Caius, "If I get in here and find the two of them, I may have to commit murder."  
  
Caius stared dully at the door, "I doubt they're back from shopping, Miss Maka. That won't be necessary." He said in an attempt to quell her anger, knowing that he would be unable to stop her should that be the case.   
  
As she began fishing out the card key, Maka inquired, "I gotta ask, how do you deal with her?"  
  
Caius blinked, having never been asked that sort of question concerning his partnership with the young Moncharmin, "With Claudia? I asked myself the same thing when I first met and partnered with her, but she's really sweet under her...” He chose his words carefully, "eccentricities. But, then again, I have more patience than most people. So I can tolerate her."  
  
Maka was amazed. Claudia's aristocratic tendencies seemed to get on the nerves of many people, including her own. It was almost as if Caius was custom-made for her. "Wow. I admire you for that. Anyway, let's go in and study." She slid the card key into the slot beneath the door handle and pulled it out. The subsequent beep signified a correct identification, and the ashy blonde opened the door and entered the room.  
  
Just like the lobby, the master suite bedroom was rather luxurious. The generous use of fine drapery fabrics in pale ice blue, taupe, steel blue and a soft silver gray gave this room a calming look. The wall farthest from the door was a large window, providing a great view of the Retiro Park near the hotel. Two queen-sized beds were positioned parallel to each other with a wooden nightstand and wall lamp between them.  
  
Maka looked around the room in astonishment, "Oh my goodness! This is...wow." Caius walked in behind her and spared a few glances of the room and found himself quickly disinterested. The Scythe Meister walked over to the wooden desk beside the television set and sat the bag down, sighing felicitously as she took off her black coat. "This is more like it. Studying in the quiet and comfortable room."  
  
"Yes," Caius agreed as he undid the buckles of his coat and slid it off, "Peace and solace."  
  
Maka sat in the black, leather business chair at the desk, the soft cushion relieving her muscles of today's tension, and started taking out of the books and notes. Caius got a wooden chair also provided by the room and situated himself by the Scythe Meister, "Alright, what shall we start with?"  
  
"Let's start with the study of Soul Resonance." Maka replied, opening the book up to the desired chapter. Caius nodded and looked as well, reciting the most fundamental theory in Phasmology with Maka.   
  
"A sound soul dwells within a soul mind and a soul body."  
  


* * *

  
 _Month 1, Week 1, Day 3 (Wednesday, January 3rd)_    
  
The sky was turning blue over Madrid, the sun slowly coming over the horizon. Dusk was giving way to dawn, and people were already starting their day in the ever-busy Spanish city. However, many people were still asleep on the grounds that it was too early in morning.   
  
Like Maka and Soul, even though they had something important to do.  
  
Soul sprawled along his bed with his covers and pillows all over, snoring obnoxiously loud. Caius, in the meantime, was in the bathroom getting ready for the scheduled departure, "Soul, wake up! We gotta leave!" he called out, but his only response was even louder snores.  
  
Meanwhile, in the girl's master room, Claudia – already up and ready to go – positioned a megaphone near Maka's head and turned it on. Taking a deep breath, she then yelled into the receiver, "WAKE UP, MAKA!"   
  
Maka's deep sleep was destroyed immediately. Her nerves forced her body to reflexively jump out of the bed. Maka screamed as she fell off the bed, arms flailing. After gathering her bearings, she shot back up to her feet and glared at Claudia angrily, "CLAUDIA, WHAT THE HELL?!"  
  
"Maka, we have to get up and catch our flight before we’re late for school." Claudia reasoned, “It’s a long ways from here to Nevada.”  
  
The Scythe Meister groaned. "Oh, alright." She walked off to the bathroom, mumbling to herself as she began getting ready.  
  
Back in the boy's master room, Soul had still failed to be awakened from his heavy sleep. So, unfortunately, Caius had to resort to drastic measures himself. Walking over to the Frigidaire, he opened up the freezer portion and scooped up some ice. "Last chance, Soul." Caius warned. When the Demon Scythe continued to snore, the Lance Meister took the scoop of ice and poured it down Soul's pants.  
  
Soul released a strained shout, the overwhelmingly icy sensation forcing him to jump out of bed and dig the intruders out of his pants as fast as possible. He shot a glare at Caius when he was done, "CAIUS, WHAT THE HELL?!"   
  
"We have to catch our flight so we won't be late for school. You can sleep on the way." Caius rationalized.   
  
Soul sighed, feeling relief once all the cold was gone, "Yeah, yeah…I'm coming."   
  
Due to the repeated urging from Caius and Claudia, Maka and Soul were able to get ready within a reasonable amount of time. The four checked themselves out of the hotel and were escorted to the airport by carriage. Once there, the carriage stopped near the private jet, and the footmen came out, walked over to the door, and opened it.  
  
"Hurry, everyone! We need to go!" Claudia exhorted as she got out of the carriage and rushed to the jet.  
  
"Okay! Okay!" Maka said as she and the others came out and followed the young rich girl.  
  
Everyone boarded the private jet and waited until the pilots were clear for takeoff. The plane's turbines whirred powerfully as the engine powered up and turned to face the takeoff lane. Within the minutes, the jet finally took off and was quickly heading to its destination of the Death City, Nevada.  
  
The trip took many hours, most of which was spent getting some more shuteye. By the time the jet was getting closer to Death City, Claudia finished getting a call from the pilots on her cell phone. "Okay!" she orated, getting everyone's attention, "I may have some bad news. By the time we arrive at the airport and get to the Academy, we will be twenty minutes late."  
  
"Oh, no!" Maka exclaimed, already dreading the consequences for coming into Professor Stein's class late. Caius blanched, not keen to the idea of being late and compromising his perfect attendance record this way. Soul, conversely, only yawned uncaringly.  
  
"HOWEVER!" Claudia suddenly said, "There is hope! It will be dangerous and someone may get hurt. But we have to do this in style."  
  
"…Eh?" Maka squeaked. Her blank, confused expression said it all.  
  
"…Style?" Soul shared his meister's incredulity.   
  
"Mhm!" Claudia clapped her hands together twice, summoning someone, "Oh, Kevin!"  
  
Coming seemingly out of nowhere was a navy-haired man wearing a skydiving suit. "Hello, everyone!"  
  
Maka immediately got the idea, and her green eyes bulged out in horror, "Y-You don't mean...”   
  
"Yes. We are going to skydive to our school!" Claudia proclaimed ardently, throwing her fist into the air.   
  
"I got everything figured out, so hopefully you don't die!" Kevin added in, blissfully unaware of how unsettling his statement sounded.   
  
Soul's interest went through the roof. He always wanted to skydive because he heard stories about how exhilarating it was. "Skydiving? Alright, count me in!" Soul said excitedly, grinning wide enough to show his sharp teeth.   
  
On the contrary, for Caius, skydiving was one of the things not on his to-do list. Quite frankly, the idea made him scared for his life. "You know what. I think I'll just take the tardy." He said resignedly.   
  
"Aw, don't be like that, buddy!" Kevin reassured, smiling widely, "It's perfectly safe as long as you follow instructions. Besides, it’ll totally be radical!"  
  
"Uhh...I dunno about this." Maka said hesitantly.  
  
"What are you afraid of, Albarn?" Claudia questioned slyly, glancing at the Scythe Meister with a mocking grin.  
  
"DYING!" Maka shouted, being realistic about the situation.  
  
"Oh pft!" Claudia rolled her eyes, waving dismissively at her, "You'll live."  
  
"This ought to be fun. Something new to try out." Soul said optimistically, grinning enthusiastically.   
  
"Alright, everyone. Suit up!" Kevin shouted, throwing a fist into the air blithely, earning excited exclamations from Soul and Claudia but nervous groans from Caius and Maka.   
  
By the time the jet approached Death City, with the DWMA in sight, the gang had suited up in their skydiving gear and necessary equipment. Claudia was ready to go, Soul kept his cool demeanor and awaited further instructions, Maka was extremely nervous to the point her knees began to shake, and Caius, while nervous himself, did a considerably better job at hiding it as he too waited for further instructions.   
  
"Okay, listen up!" Kevin spoke up as he held up a parachute bag, gesturing to each part of it as he talked, "Like I have explained, this handle will pull out the parachute, and you will slowly descend. When it seems jammed, don’t panic. Give it a sec and pull it again. If it's not working for some reason, then try the emergency handle by it. If that fails, make sure you are close to another person and ride with them." He then walked over to the emergency door, "We are over five thousand feet above the Academy. Pull it before you hit three thousand feet. This is so that, in case your main chute fails, you can pull your emergency one so you won't get hurt. Understood?"  
  
"Yes, sir!" The DWMA students all replied in unison.  
  
"Alright," Kevin proceeded to open the emergency door, the rushing winds howling as the hatch opened. The private jet was high in the sky, and it was positioning itself above the Academy so that the students would land in the open space in front of the school entrance. The quartet walked over and mentally prepared themselves for this task. "Have fun and have a great day in school! When I say 'go,' jump." Kevin held up one finger to act as a sort of timer, "One—"  
  
"GO!" Cruelly, Claudia pushed Maka off while she was most unprepared. Maka fell forward and off the plane, screaming her head off as nerves nearly jumped out of her skin. The Moncharmin girl laughed, entertained by her own action.  
  
"M-MISS MAKA!" Caius shouted concernedly, watching as Maka plummeted. He couldn’t believe what he just saw. “Claudia, what the hell?!”  
  
"HEY! I was supposed to go first!" Soul yelled overzealously and jumped off in pursuit of his meister.  
  
"Let's go!" Claudia suddenly grabbed Caius's hand and leaped off. Caius's eyes widened as he was forced to jump off with his weapon partner and immediately started fearing the worst.  
  
The quartet dove through the sky, the wind around them wailing. They even passed through a small cloud or two as they fell. The ground and the Academy itself got bigger and bigger they as continued to descend, attesting to the great speeds at which they were skydiving. For Claudia and Soul, this was a thrilling experience. Conversely, Caius and Maka did not at all enjoy themselves. They preferred murderous fighting Kishin Eggs than this.   
  
As Maka screamed her head off, flailing her arms and legs, Soul performed a few freestyle tricks as he fell through the sky, "Now  _this_  is how you start a morning before boring school!” He grinned over to his companions and asked them, "How are you guys feelin'?!"  
  
"DO I  _REALLY_  HAVE TO ANSWER THAT?!" Caius screamed in reply, not in the mood to be asked such a question.   
  
"I FEEL ALIVE!!" Claudia hollered euphorically, loving the feeling of the high winds against her face.  
  
"I'M GONNA DIE!!" Maka cried out pessimistically.  
  
"Maka, would you relax?!" Claudia said irritably, "Enjoy the moment. Just make sure you pull the tag before you hit eight hundred feet."  
  
"O-OK!"  
  
Meanwhile, at the ground, the usual morning crowd was beginning to enter the Academy and fill the hallways before class officially started. Walking up to the school after completing the large flights of stairs were Liz and Patty, who were behind Kid.  
  
The younger Thompson sister looked up to check on the sky and saw a few figures in it. "Oooh! Falling people!" Patty exclaimed childishly, amused by the display.   
  
"Patty, did you forget to take your meds again?" Liz questioned, registering that as simply another one of her younger sister's flighty, out-of-the-blue statements. Kid ignored them as he continued to walk forward.   
  
"Okay, annnnd," Soul grabbed the tag to his parachute and timed himself precisely, pulling it. The parachute deployed and expanded, immediately stopping Soul's momentum as he was jerked upward, "WHOO! Got it!"  
  
"Aaaaaaand, now!" Claudia pulled on her tag and the parachute popped open, "Yay! That was fun!"  
  
"Ngh…I need to…" Maka grabbed her tag and pulled it, but nothing happened. She gulped, seeing that her main parachute wasn't working properly. She moved on to her emergency chute and pulled the handle, but that one failed as well. Her eyes widened in horror as she continually attempted to deploy her parachute to no avail, "OH NO! I CAN'T GET IT OPEN!"   
  
Claudia saw Maka continuing to plummet and yelled loud enough so that she could hear, "Remember what Kevin said! Wait a minute an—"  
  
"I DON'T HAVE A MINUTE!!!" Maka hollered hysterically as she continued pulling the tag only for the parachute to not activate like it was supposed to.  
  
Caius was also about to pull his tag, believing he had waited long enough, but then saw Maka struggling to get hers to deploy. "M-Miss Maka! Give it a min—" He noticed the Scythe Meister was not paying attention and persisted in her futile attempts, "Oh, perfect." He sighed exasperatedly and began to maneuver himself toward her.  
  
Patty continued to look up at the sky, admiring the orange and yellow parachutes that she could see. "Oooh~ Pretty colors~"   
  
Believing this was going on long enough, Liz turned around and asked, "What are you talking about, Patty?"  
  
Patty pointed up to the sky, "See? Look!"  
  
Against his better judgment, Kid ceased walking, turned around, and looked up at the same time as Liz, specifically where Patty pointed. Sure enough, there were parachutes. As if that wasn't weird enough, the Shinigami and the Thompson Sisters noticed a figure still falling at high speeds.  
  
Patty squinted her eyes to get a better look. "I think that's Maka falling."   
  
Kid narrowed his eyes, his golden eyes acting as a scope to lock on the person. It was indeed Maka heading full-speed downward. "What the devil?!" He exclaimed in surprise, his eyes widening.   
  
"Oh my God!" Liz exclaimed, horrified, covering her mouth with her hands.  
  
As Maka tried her hardest to get it open, Caius managed to reach her, hook his arm around her waist, and deploy his parachute. "You really should work on your patience." He criticized as the parachute jerked them upward, negating all the downward momentum produced from their fall.   
  
Maka felt embarrassed, "Thanks." She thanked in a mortified tone. Then she snarled, remembering that Claudia put her in this mess, "When we land, I am so kicking your weapon's ass."  
  
Soul saw from his higher standpoint that Caius had rescued his meister. He sighed in relief. "They made it!" Claudia exclaimed happily. However, her cheery mood completely disappeared when she suddenly had the feeling that her life, or at least her wellbeing, was in danger.   
  
"Yay! She's saved!" Patty declared, clapping her hands jovially as if she was applauding the work of a movie.  
  
Liz's blue eyes were focused on the person that saved Maka, "But who is that guy? I’ve never seen him before."  
  
Kid squinted his eyes to get a better view, using his hand as a visor to aid in that, "Hmmm. Never seen him before either."  
  
The younger Thompson suddenly had a thought that made her grin mischievously, "Maybe it's her boyfriend~"  
  
"Ooo~" Liz purred playfully. To her, that would explain why Maka seemed to be at ease with herself recently.  
  
Caius eventually landed with Maka, letting her go when they were securely on the ground. "And we're here." He announced, relieved, as he detached the parachute and took off his skydiving suit. Maka's shoulder slumped as she was finally freed from the anxiety and tension this horrible skydiving experience gave her. She too removed her defunct parachute bag and slipped out of the suit itself.   
  
"Nice of you to drop in, Maka." Kid quipped, maintaining his usual tone of voice as he approached the two with the Thompson Sisters by him.  
  
Maka looked at the Son of Death – she had expected someone to see her but was glad it was someone sensible – and replied, "Oh hey, Kid. Listen, I'll explain about this later before you ask. Anyway, how are you?"  
  
"You tell us?" Liz responded, looking at Caius curiously.  
  
"Just a…" Kid shoved his hands into his pockets as he eyed Caius, "regular morning, that's all."  
  
"So who's this~?" Patty inquired, gazing at the bespectacled teenager as well.   
  
Caius felt uncomfortable with the prying attention he was getting. Nonetheless, he introduced himself, "Caius Vladingham."  
  
The Thompson Sisters grinned, examining the male meister. He appeared to be someone that Maka would pick. "Are you Maka's boyfriend?" Patty asked innocently, "If so, you look better with her than Soul."  
  
"WH-WHAT?!" Maka sputtered in surprise. Well, it wasn't the first time she was asked that type of question, but usually Soul was the guy in question. "Patty, don't be silly! He's my friend!"  
  
Caius slapped his forehead with his palm, sighing irefully. It had been awhile since he was bombarded with such an implication. In the first year he knew Claudia, many of the rich entrepreneurs he encountered when with the Moncharmins thought he and Claudia were dating before they learned he was her meister and nothing more. "Yeah, just a fr-...." Caius refused to acknowledge Maka as a friend. She could say what she wanted to. "Yeah, that."   
  
"I-In fact, he's Claudia's meister!" Maka continued to defend herself.   
  
Liz blinked incredulously, "Are you serious? You mean the rich brat?"  
  
"I HEARD THAT!" Claudia shouted, finally landing on the ground and glaring at them, "Honestly, you guys are so mean!"  
  
Kid gave Claudia a sustained look, keeping his usual expression, "The Moncharmin princess finally got a partner?"  
  
"I said the same thing!" Soul remarked as he landed and began removing his skydiving equipment and suit, "But apparently Caius has been here a long time."  
  
Caius saw the Reaper look at him again. "He isn't lying." The bespectacled meister said seriously.   
  
"What is the matter of you people?!" Claudia groused in exasperation, "You guys act like he just came out of nowhere when he's been attending this school with me for quite awhile!"  
  
"Huh. Never noticed him." Liz admitted, shrugging her shoulders.  
  
"Me either," Patty said, approaching Caius and poking him in the chest, "Is he a ghost?"  
  
"No, you imbecile! He's real person like you and me!" Claudia retorted tetchily.   
  
Caius sighed inaudibly, caressing his left temple. Being around these many people and their different personalities were starting to give him a migraine. "Can we just go to class now?" He didn't wait for an answer, brusquely excusing himself right after he said that.   
  


* * *

  
Stein was walking down a hallway in the upper floors of the DWMA, looking around carefully. "Alright, he should be…" The scientist spotted a large, bidirectional door. Above it was a typical classroom sign with the words 'Correctional Class' engraved on a wooden palette in elaborate, bright red cursive letters. "Ah, here we are."   
  
What Lord Death talked about yesterday had been on Stein’s mind ever since. EAT students, and not just a select few, needed to be able to work together. Stein knew another confrontation with Arachnophobia was inevitable, so the Academy’s fighters needed another edge, and there was one person who could help. Stein stopped in front of the door and rapped his knuckles against the surface loud enough to catch the attention of whoever was inside.   
  
"Mr. N is back! Get to your seats!"  
  
On the other side of the door, Stein could hear loud, panic-stricken rustling and scrambling. Expressionless Stein recognized such hurried shuffling as that of students misbehaving and trying to keep face when they knew authority was around. The legendary meister cranked his bolt counterclockwise, guessing that the person he was looking for was not in his classroom just yet. But, Stein decided to head in anyway, opening the door and walking in.  
  
The Correctional Class appeared similar to every other lecture hall in the DWMA. The color scheme, however, was different, demonstrating a combination of cool grey and dark white colors. But hat truly separated this particular classroom from the others was that it was devoid of the self-respecting and diligent students the DWMA was known for. The Correctional Class was full of the degenerates, roughnecks, and juveniles that infected the school, giving the impression this was a detention room.  
  
"That’s not Mr. N! That’s Professor Stein!" A male Correctional Class student pointed out.   
  
Stein's glasses shined in the light as he locked eyes with the student. “Yes, you’re right. It’s me.” The male student cowered instantly. The rest of the class remained mute. They knew full well the destructive caliber of the DWMA's best known meister. Sighing, Stein spoke up once again, "Where’s Noel? I need to speak with him."  
  
Just then, the other set of bidirectional doors on the opposite wall flew open with a deafening slam.  
  
Standing in the doorway was a man with black, chin-length hair with many orange streaks, mostly located on his draping bangs. They almost completely covered the left side of his face. He had some on the right side, but they weren't as plentiful, keeping his dark auburn, pupil-less eye visible. He wore a black, leather blazer with internal pockets and an upturned collar. The blazer was unzipped to reveal a dark orange shirt underneath. He finished his ensemble with black pants and shoes.  
  
"Welcome back, Mr. Ricardsen!" The Correctional Class students shouted in unison, straightening in their seats almost instantly.   
  
"Hmph." Noel noticed Stein standing across from him and spoke with a dry, detached voice, "Oh. Franken. This is unexpected."  
  
"I need to speak with you for a second." Stein simply requested.  
  
Noel nodded slowly, "If you insist." He turned his class and said, "As you can see, I'm stepping out once more. This room better look the way it does now, and I better not hear anything, or you all will suffer the consequences." Never during these demands did Noel's face or voice change. However, the stern calmness radiating from his voice was enough to make even the reprobates and miscreants before him nod fearfully in unison. Noel's outward demeanor exhibited that much authority.   
  
That understood, Noel walked out with Stein and closed the door behind them. "So what do you want, Stein?" the stoic man questioned, eyeing the professor unblinkingly, "I  _was_  in the middle of class."  
  
Stein put his hands into his lab coat pockets and replied, "Simple. I need you. I just feel everyone should get to know each other more closely as students of the DWMA. Besides, I don’t want them just studying for my test. Give them something to do."  
  
"So in other words," Noel narrowed his eye slightly, "You want me to teach them about Joint Resonance?"  
  
Stein's eyeglasses glinted as his gaze focused seriously on Noel, "That's correct."  
  
Noel rubbed the back of his neck slowly, “I don’t know, Franken. It’s been some time since I taught Joint Resonance. I’m just a detention warden and scholar disciplinarian now.” Indeed, he hadn’t been put in much combat in the last few months, having to watch the Correctional Class and the rest of the Academy while the war with Arachnophobia and the search for Asura went on. That, and he had other matters to deal with.   
  
“Once you got it, you got it.” Stein stated, turning his bolt again.   
  
Noel shrugged his shoulders, "All right. As long as you can find someone to look after my class while we do this, I'll bite." He stretched his arms, keeping a tight grip on the folder in his right hand as he did, "Just give me a moment. I might be in your class late."  
  
"That's all I ask." Stein then noticed the folder in Noel's hand and inquired in an amused tone, "Getting paperwork out of the way? A bit too early if you ask me."  
  
"Not exactly," Noel replied, looking at it, "Student application forms. My two kids will be attending the DWMA soon if Lord Death approves them. I'm really just waiting on their performance and physical fitness prerequisites."  
  
Stein knew the process very well, "Oh, yes. There are two ways in which students can enroll into the DWMA. By orientation, in which a mass of new students can be admitted simultaneously but are placed in classes based only on their initial credentials. Or by recommendation, which requires the student to do prerequisite missions and/or exams and meet minimum standards in order to be accepted. In exchange, if successful, they seem to get first picks and head starts on things students admitted by orientation don't get for a while."  
  
"Well, aren't you just an encyclopedia?" Noel commented sarcastically and then said, "But, yes. My children and their weapon partners are on their prerequisite mission now."  
  
"Well, I'm going to find your replacement and head to my class," Stein announced, walking off, "Don't take long."  
  
"I'll try." Noel replied, turning his back to Stein but did not head into his classroom yet. An ominous thought crossed his mind,  _"He wants his class to learn Joint Resonance…does Stein think the activity out there might change soon?"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT (7/19/2014): Thank you, jackthehedgehog from Fanfiction(dot)net, for providing the proper altitudes for the skydiving.


	4. Joint Resonance: Teamwork Yields Ultimate Power?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noel Ricardsen arrives at Class Crescent Moon to begin lessons revolving something called Joint Resonance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.

**Joint Resonance: Teamwork Yields Ultimate Power?**  
  
"Master J. Worski, we've got the goods."  
  
In a dark alley somewhere in the metropolitan Detroit, Michigan area, several individuals tossed a few burlap sacks to the ground. The impact caused the bags to open up slightly, revealing their contents to be nothing but pure souls and stacks of cash. Standing above them with a pleased but sinister smile was a clean-cut, middle-aged man with smooth, wavy brown locks, and dilated black eyes with black rings around them.   
  
J. Worski knelt down and picked up a soul from one of the burlap sacks and tossed it into his mouth, savoring the texture as he swallowed it. "Perfect. Nothing like getting some money and eating some souls." His partners-in-crime all snickered, taking off their ski masks to reveal their inhuman dispositions: narrow but blank eyes, jagged mouths, and gaunt faces.   
  
However, as the criminals celebrated their success, a group of figures watched them from atop a roof.   
  
"J. Worski and the Flatheads." A fifteen-year-old male smirked, counting the heads he could see. He possessed jaw-length, ink black hair with bangs and chartreuse-colored eyes. He wore an unzipped, collarless black blazer; a white, collared, thinner polo shirt underneath it; and black trousers with black shoes.  
  
"Look at those suckers. Don't even know we got 'em." A fifteen-year-old girl matched the boy's smirk, her sunshine yellow eyes full of joy. Her messy, orange hair was gathered into a bun, two loosely-curled strands framing her face. Her outfit comprised of a zipped, V-neck black blazer with elbow-length sleeves, a white halterneck shirt, white short shorts, white ankle boots, and white gloves with grey buckles.  
  
"Careful now, Tsuji, Rowena, the mission isn't over until they're all good and dead." A seventeen-year-old, dark-skinned male rolled a lollipop around in his mouth, scanning the area with his slate blue eyes. His stomach-length, dark red peajacket billowed slightly in the Detroit breeze. It was unfastened, showing the black shirt underneath it. He also wore baggy dark green pants fastened by a black belt and black army boots. "Don't forget that." He ran one hand through his brownish-orange hair, shoving the other into his pocket as his posture slouched.   
  
"No worries. We got this!" A fourteen-year-old girl giggled, waving the sleeves that currently hid her hands. Her facial features included large, magenta eyes and purple hair woven into two hair loops by golden balls with the remainder falling to her shoulders. She wore a purple kimono-like shirt with long sleeves, baggy white pants fastened to her waist by a purple string, slipper-like shoes, ordinary white socks, and a pink scarf.  
  
"Nayumi's right, Marcellus," Tsuji reassured, turning to the oldest member of the group, "So, chill out." Marcellus only sighed as he crunched down on his lollipop and spat out the naked stick, subsequently reaching into his jacket and retrieving another.   
  
"Alright, bro, you know the game plan," Rowena stated as she turned to Tsuji, "You do your thing up here, and I'll do my thing down there, but don't hesitate to move your ass when it looks I need help. Got it?"  
  
"Crystal, sis." Tsuji replied, giving her a confident smirk.   
  
Rowena smirked back, nodding, "Then let's roll! Nayumi, transform!"  
  
"Marcellus, Default Form."  
  
Nayumi's and Marcellus's bodies suddenly glowed and dematerialized into weightless light. Nayumi shot up into the sky while Marcellus slipped into Tsuji's right hand, beginning the transformation.  
  
As Nayumi shot back down, her form turned into something long and stabbed into the building's roof. Then, the upper portion of her form increased in width and size. When Rowena gripped the slender part, the light around Nayumi's new form shattered, revealing her to be a giant sledgehammer. The long shaft was of a dark purple color. The front part of the hammerhead was a smooth, spherical end, the rest being made of interlocking plates, and the very back being a blunt end.   
  
Tsuji tightened his grip around and threw his arm out to the side as the light shattered, now holding a standard, dark grey mechanical bow. In the very middle of the curve was a dark green crystal ball, and three bowstrings met at a pullback clip.  
  
"Don't blow your cover." Rowena cautioned, lifting up the seemingly heavy sledgehammer with only one hand and leaping off the side of the building, using the street pole to help ease her fall.   
  
"I’ll be too busy gettin' headshots to care." Tsuji kept a firm hold on the bow’s black gripper and hooked two fingers in the pullback clip. A chartreuse arrow of compressed soul wavelength was produced as the Bow Meister watched his targets carefully. "Ready and…" He shot the arrow through crystal ball, watching it surge through the air at high speeds. The arrow cleanly pierced the head of one of the Flatheads, the body soon fading away and leaving behind a Kishin Egg Soul. "Dead."   
  
A Flathead whipped to face his now-dead partner. "What the-?! We've been made, guys!" He and two other members headed toward the bags. Before they even touched them, they were slammed forcefully into the nearby dumpster, resulting in it flattening like an accordion. Imbedded into the human-shaped imprints were a trio of Kishin Egg Souls.    
  
"Going somewhere?” Rowena quipped as she lifted up the sledgehammer and rested it across her shoulders.  
  
J. Worski growled vehemently, glaring at the female meister. "The DWMA." Flinching as he heard shots echo through the alley, the Evil Human turned around and saw chartreuse arrows piercing through the skulls of more of his men. They were all dead, totaling the number of Kishin Egg Souls floating around at nine.   
  
The criminal's eyes widened in horror. The Flatheads had been able to run around and conduct business without setbacks before. Now, all of a sudden, they were being gunned down like wild animals during a hunt. "What the hell?! How is this-?!"  
  
" _Meet the ground_!" Rowena shouted, raising the sledgehammer and slamming it down on J. Worski. The impact left J. Worski in a crater as fissures snaked across the area, the sounds of bone-cracking accompanying the breaking of land. "Did it say hi back?" The girl smirked humorously as she lifted her weapon off of him.  
  
Tsuji soon caught up to the scene and admired his twin sister's work. "Damn, Rowena. Flattened him!" He chuckled.  
  
Rowena chuckled as well. "Actually, I held back because I wanted to see his head get blown off."  
  
Tsuji smirked dangerously. "Well then. Can't keep my sis waitin', right?" He trudged over to J. Worski and flipped the half-dead Evil Human over. The criminal cried out in agony, but Tsuji paid no heed to his broken bones and ruptured organs. Tsuji then squatted down and aimed an arrow right at J. Worski's head.  
  
"J. Worski and the Flatheads, a group of bank robbers and human soul hunters haunting the Detroit, Michigan area." Marcellus explained as his reflection appeared on the crystal ball of his Default Form.   
  
"Not anymore!" Nayumi said giddily, her image appearing on the hammerhead of the sledgehammer.  
  
"Your punk ass has been duckin' and dodgin' the DWMA, J.Worski." Rowena said as she walked up beside her brother, looking down on the heavily injured evil human and resting her weapon on its hammerhead on the ground.   
  
"Do you feel lucky, punk?" Tsuji asked viciously as he squatted down further, pressing the bow against J. Worski's forehead, "You're about to get killed by the Ricardsens with our weapons, the Ardsens. Remember them names!"  
  
J. Worski soon learned that an arrow could be just as deadly as a gun.  
  


* * *

  
" _Do not start class, for we are here_!"  
  
The class and Professor Stein stared at Claudia, who had overenthusiastically burst into the classroom and pointed a finger in the air.   
  
"Um, Claudia?" Tsubaki spoke demurely, "Class hasn't even started."  
  
Claudia blinked a few times, dropped her finger, and looked at the Shadow Weapon. "Huh? Really?"  
  
Tsubaki nodded as she smiled passively. "Yes. You're still on time."  
  
Caius walked in behind Claudia on the verge of crying tears of joy. "My perfect attendance record lives on!”  
  
Stein continued to unblinkingly stare on. "Riveting. Now go take your seat," He demanded calmly. Caius and Claudia regained their composures and did what they were told.  
  
Maka walked in shortly afterwards. "Well at least we're on time." She said thankfully as she went to her seat with Soul right behind her.   
  
As Caius took out his stuff for class, he recalled all the events of the Madrid mission, not fondly.  _"Well, at least that won't be something I have to redo. Back to it just being me and Claudia. Or me, myself, and I."_    
  
"Alright, students, class is officially underway," Stein announced, standing from his seat, "Well, I hope you've already began studying for your test soon. Now, normally, I would have just awarded you all with free time. But, with the help of a colleague, we are going to do something that'll further us as fighters of the DWMA." The majority of the class gave him inquisitive stares, and the scientist continued, "So, our topic for today is 'Teamwork.' Not only with people you know, but also people you don't know."  
  
This was something new even for those who have been in the Crescent Moon Class for the longest. The class murmured among each other, wondering what the professor's intentions were. Just then, there was a soft knock on the door, which captured everyone's attention.  
  
"Oh, that must be my help. It's open!" Stein called out.  
  
The door creaked open, a chill running down some of the students’ spines. A normal person would not have opened the door so slowly like that. When it opened completely, Noel stood in the doorway, stolid and detached as usual. "Hello, everyone." He greeted dryly.   
  
That alone sent the majority of the class into a frenzy.  
  
"I DON'T HAVE ANY GUM ON ME!"  
  
"I LEFT MY MAKEUP IN MY LOCKER!"  
  
"DON'T KILL ME. I BRUISE EASILY!"  
  
It was common knowledge that Noel Ricardsen, the detention warden and disciplinarian, appeared wherever trouble happened within the school. It was his job to make sure no students acted out of line and deal swift, indiscriminate, and oftentimes painful judgment. All of the slackers like Soul and Liz in the class straightened up in their seat, the exemplary students like Maka, Ox, and Tsubaki straightened in their seats even more, and people like Kid and Kilik wondered who exactly was in trouble this time.    
  
"As all of you probably know, this is Mr. Noel Isaac Ricardsen," Stein said as Noel walked beside his desk and leaned against it with his hands in his pockets, "He took time out of his busy schedule to help me with today's lesson."  
  
"So quit fidgeting," Noel insisted, "No one's in trouble."  
  
"Now give him your undivided attention please." Stein requested. The class relaxed only a little and decided to give Noel a chance to explain himself.  
  
Now that he had the floor, Noel began to speak, "Stein has told me today's lesson is teamwork. I’ll do my best to help with it, but I’m only offering a week, so keep up and listen carefully,” the man cleared his throat before continuing, "For today, let me give you something to think about. Oftentimes, we listen to what people say and see what they do to gather an impression of them. But, there is actually a better way. In battle, when warriors clash, this exchange of blows, slashes, or whatever can invisibly tell a lot about each other – their fighting style, their strength, the amount of effort they are putting in. For us Meisters and Weapons, each time we clash with another like ourselves, inputting our soul into everything, we tell even more. If you concentrate, through a single battle, you can learn so much about the other person."  
  
The class listened quietly as the Correctional Class teacher finalized his thoughts, "And that's the core of today's lesson. In teamwork, familiarity is absolutely necessary. When pairs, trios, or even groups know each other's strengths and weaknesses and back each other up, there is no obstacle insurmountable. In short, you guys are going to fight and learn about each other through battle."  
  
The class's reactions were varied, but it seemed excitement was the general response. People like Blackstar and Patty practically screamed and pounded on the tables to make some noise, people like Kid and Maka expressed indifference toward the matter, and there a few people groaning in disdain like Liz and Kim.   
  
Caius glanced at the teachers, the clock, and the exit, estimating the distance between himself and the door and how much time needed to elapse. “I’m going to bathroom real quick.” He whispered to Claudia, not waiting for her response as he quickly slipped out of the class.   
  
Stein cleared his throat to capture their attention and explained, "Before we came together, I took the attendance list and randomized it to make a few matchups. It may not be the best, but they are as general as they can be."   
  
He glanced at the clipboard on his desk. There were only a few, and all of the battles probably wouldn’t happen, but it should be enough to get the point across. Noel then spoke up again, "Before that, I want to remind you all. We're not trying to beat the tar out of each other. We're here to learn. So, I expect just straightforward combat. No Soul Resonances, special techniques, none of that, alright?"  
  
"Now listen up," Stein articulated, "Kid, Kilik, and your partners. You're first up, so let's go."  
  
"Yay!" Patty stared grinning and hopping foot to foot in excitement. Then, she flashed a predatory grin at the Utility Meister and his young partners. "You're going down!"   
  
Pot of Fire and Pot of Thunder reacted by sticking their tongues out and blowing raspberries, giggling at the fuming Patty.  
  
"Patty, this isn't a win-or-lose thing. We're learning." Kid admonished, standing up with the older Thompson Sister.  
  
“Doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun doing it!” Kilik yelled, a grin forming on his face. He brimmed with enthusiasm, ready to test his mettle against Death’s son.  
  
Noel spoke after the students got into position, "Everyone will be fighting for a straight minute. At the end, both fighters are to evaluate each other based on what they gathered through their exchange. Your grade depends on how accurate your intel is. Remember, you're here to learn, not kill each other."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"Now get started.” Noel ordered as he crossed his arms.  
  
Liz, Patty, and the Pot Twins all transformed, the pistols slipping into Kid’s hands as the twins became gauntlets around Kilik’s. Kid held his guns up, wielding them upside down so that his trigger fingers were his pinkies.   
  
The Shinigami beckoned Kilik. "Come."   
  
“If you insist!” Kilik charged at the Son of Death much faster than he anticipated. This forced Kid to jump back and fired rounds of soul energy, but Kilik simply strafed left and right. By the time Kid landed back on the floor, Kilik already closed the distance between them and threw a straight jab.  
  
Kid blocked the punch with one of the pistols, reacting faster than Kilik expected.  _"Man, I can’t believe Liz and Patty are durable enough to block my punches."_  The Pot Meister then noticed the Reaper aiming his free, left-hand gun.   
  
Gasping in surprise, Kilik threw himself backwards right as he fired, barely dodging. He could practically feel the soul energy radiating from the invisible vapor trail of the shot. After that, Kid proceeded to fire several more rounds at Kilik, who could do nothing but block with his gauntlets and back up to mitigate the strong impacts.    
  
"Make sure to concentrate on what each blow is telling you. That's where your main focus should be." Noel stated instructively to the students, watching the two fight along with Stein.  
  
As a prodigy, Kid performed the given task well.  _“Not bad, Rung. You have the reflexes necessary to evade a point-blank gunshot.”_  He thought, shelving that piece of information somewhere in his mind.  _“I suppose that’s a necessity for him since he’s mainly a close-range fighter.”_  
  
The dark-skinned boy sprinted towards Kid once again, moving side-to-side to avoid his rounds. When the Shinigami suddenly slid forward to close the gap and fire a few quick shots, Kilik put on the brakes and swung a backhand, deflecting the blasts. He ignored the cry of his fellow students who nearly got hit and leapt over Kid to dodge even more shots.   
  
“Here I come!” Kilik shouted, interlacing his fingers and bringing down his hands for a hammer blow as he fell. Turning around, Kid raised his pistols in a cross formation to block. When he did, the Twin Pistol Meister met the full force of Kilik’s physical strength and was reduced to one knee.  
  
The Pot Meister cracked a grin.  _“Sorry, Kid, wrong move.”_  Kilik brought up one of his knees and struck Kid in his exposed chest, hard enough to send him skidding across classroom floor. He immediately started chasing him down.  _“Gotta pressure him while he can’t think straight.”_  
  
Once close enough, Kilik went for a karate chop. Having heard his rapid footsteps, Kid jammed one of his pistols into the tile floor to stop and anchor himself. Swinging his leg, the Reaper hit Kilik in his kneecap to make him miss. Then, Kid aimed both of his pistols at Kilik’s gut and fired. The bespectacled boy tumbled backwards until he reached the opposite of the class.  
  
Kilik massaged the blast point and forced himself to smirk at Kid. “Wry as ever.” He forced himself into a kneeling position, panting heavily with sweat dripping down his face. Kid tossed a small smirk back; Kilik wasn’t placed on the same pedestal as him and Blackstar for no reason.   
  
"And time," Noel declared, "Stop fighting."  
  
Kilik and Kid stood tall and proud as their weapon partners also reverted back to their normal human state. Pot of Fire and Pot of Thunder shared high-fives with Kilik, having thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Liz tiredly stretched her back, glad to be done with combat for the day. Patty crossed her arms and pouted. "Aww, we were just getting to the good part.”  
  
"Well? What did you find out?" Noel inquired, listening on as intently as Stein.  
  
Kid gestured to Kilik that he could go first. The bespectacled Meister lazily tossed a thumb his way. "Kid’s got style and smarts. Got to stay on your Ps and Qs with him.”  
  
Stein looked over to Lord Death’s son, resting his chin on his chair’s backrest. "And Kid?"   
  
Kid cleared his throat before he spoke. "Kilik fights with great passion and strength, able to act fairly effectively whenever he sees the tide of battle going his way."  
  
Noel nodded, finding the analyses satisfactory. He looked over at Stein, seeing the professor nod his approval. "Hm. Sounds to me the remarks are spot-on." The Correctional Class teacher stated, "You all may return to your seats."  
  
"While they do that," Stein declared, "Maka and Crona, get down here."  
  
Ragnarok suddenly materialized out of the base of Crona's back and poked the young meister repeatedly and roughly on the head. "Alright, listen here, you. You better not mess up just because that broad is your friend." He demanded.   
  
"Ow!" Crona yelped, swatting away Ragnarok's hand, "That hurt, you know!" The pink-haired meister sighed sadly, standing up and going down to the front.  
  
"Our show now, Maka." Soul mentioned as he too stood up from his seat.   
  
Maka nodded as she made it to the front, both Meisters now standing in front of one another. Crona was looking down nervously, arm held in the other's hand in a usual death grip. Maka noticed this gesture, it being Crona's usual sign of reluctance, and smiled reassuringly, "Hey, Crona." When the person in question looked at her, the Scythe Meister continued, “Don't worry. Just do your best and don't hold back, okay?"  
  
"O-Okay." Crona replied demurely.   
  
"Get ready." Noel declared.  
  
Soul transformed into his scythe form as Maka grabbed it and got into a battle stance. Ragnorak receded into Crona's body and reappeared as the demon sword in the pink-haired meister's hand. Crona gripped it but stood in the same position.   
  
"Begin."  
  
As soon as Professor Stein gave the word, Maka charged at Crona who simply waited patiently for her. The ashy blonde swung the large weapon. Crona held up the sword to block it and pushed it away, swinging the demon sword in retaliation. Maka quickly dodged each subsequent swing from side to side, then she lifted the blade of the scythe up as it clashed with the demon sword.   
  
 _"I really don't want to fight Maka, but I have to. Oh, why me?"_ Crona thought despairingly, pulling the blade back from the clash and swinging it again.   
  
Maka jumped back, dodging, and then swung her scythe, positioning the blade around Crona's body to prevent the Sword Meister from moving. Crona was surprised by the action but could not think anything else of it because the Sword Meister was suddenly punched very hard in the face, tumbling backwards and hitting the nearest wall.  
  
Maka realized what she did and instantly felt sorry, "Whoops! D-Did I hit too hard?"   
  
"Get your butt up!" Ragnarok demanded, speaking through the mouth located above his sword form's hilt, "She didn't hit you  _that_  hard!" Crona slowly got up, groaning and rubbing the impacted cheek to alleviate the dull pain from Maka's punch.   
  
"Come on, Crona! Don't hold back!" Maka encouraged.  
  
Crona managed to get back up and charge, holding the demon sword in both hands. The Sword Meister, once close enough, started swinging the blade rapidly. Maka dodged each and every move Crona made. Seeing that nothing was happening, Crona then jumped back and sliced its unoccupied arm. The resulting wound was small; however, a substantial amount of black-colored blood leaked to the floor. "Bloody Needles."   
  
Suddenly, the black blood solidified in the form of several sharp needles, shooting out toward Maka. Although surprised, the Scythe Meister reacted quickly enough to back-flip out of the way and avoid certain damage.   
  
Of course, the utilization of differently colored blood did not go unnoticed by people who were not familiar with Crona.  _"Black Blood?! Who is that?!"_  Claudia exclaimed in her mind.   
  
Noel narrowed his eyes.  _“That’s new.”_  Even though he was aware of Crona being Medusa's child, he still wondered how that was possible, but Stein gestured to him that he would explain later.  _“I’ll let this one slide. I want to see this.”_  He thought, referring to the rules that students shouldn’t be using special techniques, but he was curious.   
  
"Now you're talkin', Crona!" Ragnarok howled in approval.  
  
"I almost forgot about the Black Blood." Soul commented as Maka landed.  
  
"Ngh, same here." She replied. Crona then flung more blades of Black Blood toward Maka, who responded by rolling out of the way. The Sword Meister continued to launch more blades from the bleeding wound even after the Scythe Meister evaded the initial discharges. Maka however kept dodging, even knocking away a particularly fast Bloody Slicer. This went on for only a few more seconds. Crona ceased firing Bloody Slicers and charged, dragging the sword across the surface of the floor. Maka also charged, holding the shaft of the scythe in preparation for the next attack. Both meisters swung their weapons, colliding with a loud clang that echoed throughout the classroom.  
  
"And time." Noel announced, "Present your evaluations."  
  
Crona and Maka relaxed, giving each other some space. The Scythe Meister was the first to speak, "Crona's a bit nervous when it comes to attacking a friend but is a powerful opponent when tempted."  
  
Crona blushed, feeling a bit embarrassed, "Umm...a-and, Maka is a very flexible and strong fighter. And y-yeah...." The Sword Meister spoke nervously, unsure of what else to say.  
  
Stein nodded his approval and stated, "Excellent. You may go take your seats now."  
  
Soul transformed back into his human state and yawned boredly. Ragnarok’s sword form dematerialized, and the creature itself reappeared out of Crona's back and positioned himself on his meister's head. "Man, we were just having fun." He groaned unhappily.  
  
Maka looked at them and smiled, "Good job, you two. You did really great, Crona."  
  
"T-thanks. You weren't bad yourself." Crona replied appreciatively, smiling a little at her.  
  
With that exchange done, the two meisters went back to their seats with their respective weapon partners. Noel checked the time and noticed that one more match was allowable. The detention warden looked at Stein and nodded. The scientist then announced, "Alright, here is our final one for today. Blackstar and Ox. Let's make it quick."  
  
"YAHOO! Let's do this, Tsubaki!" Blackstar shouted, jumping to his feet and heading down the steps. Tsubaki quickly got out of her seat and followed her meister.  
  
"Uh-oh." Maka quietly groaned, already foreseeing the potential disaster.    
  
 _“I hope Ox wins. Because Blackstar is a jerk. Fall and hurt yourself, you stupid jerk!"_  Claudia thought, glaring at Blackstar as he eagerly stepped to the front, laughing all the way.   
  
"Let's make this quick." Ox Ford said, standing up with his Demon Spear partner, Harvar, and walking down to the front.   
  
Once they were all situated, Noel spoke again, "Get set, you four."   
  
Harvar glowed yellow, becoming a jolt of electricity that slipped into Ox's right hand, and turned into a golden spear with a lightning bolt-esque tip. "Think you have a chance against the Royal Thunder Commander? I think not." Ox boasted, engaging in a battle stance and pointing the spear at Blackstar.   
  
"HA!" Blackstar scoffed, pointing at the Spear Meister, "It's  _you_  who doesn't stand a chance against this great assassin!" The blue-haired boy gave himself a thumbs-up, grinning as he continued, “I know I can be intimidating. I even intimidate myself sometimes! That’s just who I am, the Great Assassin Blackstar!  _Hahahaha_!"   
  
The class groaned in unison.  
  
"Just begin already." Noel demanded, already developing a great dislike of the assassin's overweening pride.   
  
"Now, Tsubaki! Chain-Scythe Mode!" Blackstar ordered, ready to fight. Nodding, Tsubaki's body glowed a yellow color before transforming into two small scythes connected by chains into Blackstar's hands. "Here we go! YAHOO!" The blue-haired meister bellowed, charging full speed at Ox.  
  
Waiting until the Shadow Weapon Meister got close enough, Ox jabbed the spear forward. However, Blackstar managed to sidestep the stab. "Ha! Too slow!" He taunted, leaping up and swinging one of the scythes at Ox. Ox quickly raised the spear to block it, skidding back from the impact. Once Blackstar landed on the ground, he lunged himself forward with his fists out, turning himself into a human missile, and rammed himself into Ox's stomach. The bespectacled meister went tumbling back into a wall from the impact.  
  
"Ox!" Harvar exclaimed concernedly, hearing his meister yelp.   
  
"I-I'm alright." Ox groaned, rubbing his head as he stood up, charging with the spear in hand.  _"If only Mr. Ricardsen allowed us to use special attacks!"_  He groused in annoyance, swinging the spear at Blackstar.   
  
Blackstar dogged Ox's attacks and then swung the chain-scythes around in retaliation, "HA! Why don't you just give up?! You know I am better than you!" He shouted smugly.   
  
"You talk too much!" Ox retorted, clashing his spear with the chain-scythes.  
  
Blackstar grinned, continuing to clash weapons with his opponent, "What's the matter? Can't handle the Great Me?!" The blue-haired meister jumped up and threw one of the scythes, wrapping the chain around the spear and yanking it away in one tug.   
  
"H-Hey!" Ox exclaimed. The action both shocked him and Harvar as the former was now disarmed of his means of fighting.   
  
Blackstar charged at the weaponless and defenseless Ox, getting ready to punch him with all his might. "HERE WE GO! MY SUPER, AWESOME ATTACK! BLACKSTAR PUNCH!" The assassin thrust his fist forward, hitting Ox square in the face with such force that the poor scholar was launched immediately into the wall behind him. His legs dangled helplessly as the other half of Ox’s body jutted out into the hallway outside.  
  
Most of the class laughed uproariously, others shook their heads and sighed exasperatedly. Harvar turned back to normal to check on the welfare of his defeated partner as Stein and Noel could only look on with unimpressed frowns.   
  
"Blackstar, was that necessary?!" Tsubaki chastised, her reflection appearing on the blade of the right-hand chain-scythe.   
  
"Sorry, Tsubaki, guess I forgot how awesome and strong I was!" Blackstar boasted, laughing like an idiot.   
  
Stein really wished he could light a cigarette right now. "Blackstar, since Ox is incapacitated at the moment, let’s hear your evaluation."  
  
Blackstar stopped guffawing and looked at his teacher, tilting his head in confusion, "Huh? On what?" Even though she was still in weapon form, Tsubaki wanted to fall. Just from that statement, she knew her meister did not even know the assignment.    
  
Noel and Stein could tell that, too, but the latter decided to continue on anyway, "On Ox. Summarize him based on what you gathered from your fight."  
  
Blackstar put his arms behind his head as he leaned back a bit, thinking of something right on the spot, "Uhh, he's a nerd and a weirdo with a weird hairstyle?"   
  
“They’re my pillars of justice!” Ox shouted as Harvar removed him from the wall.   
  
Nothing else was said. Noel felt that Blackstar's halfhearted response was indicative enough, with Stein writing something down. Tsubaki turned back to normal, sighing and looking down in embarrassment.  
  
 _Ding. Dong. Dong. Ding._  
  
"Have a nice day, class." Stein said after the school bell finished ringing.  
  
"I understand not everyone was able to participate, but if you paid attention, you should get the gist of it. We'll resume the next part tomorrow. So be prepared." Noel cautioned. With that said, the Crescent Moon Class started gathering their stuff and leaving for their next period.   
  
Conveniently, Caius returned to class and hid a smile as he heard the dismissal.  _“Just as planned.”_  He went over to gather his items, a little surprised that Claudia never questioned his long absence.   
  
Over on the other side of the classroom, Maka finished collecting her books and supplies when Crona walked over, "U-Um, Maka?"  
  
She looked over at Crona and replied, "Oh hey, Crona. What's up?"  
  
Crona looked down. Even to this day, Crona still had trouble keeping eye contact even with Maka, “Umm...w-well...I was wondering," The pink-haired meister gulped. At this point Maka noticed the trademark death grip Crona kept on one arm. "If it's okay with you, could I study with you? You know, for the test coming up?"  
  
Maka warmly smiled. "Oh, sure! That's no problem, Crona. In fact, we should have a study group."  
  
Soul, who was ready and patiently waiting for the two Meisters to finish talking, spoke up at the mention of a study group, "You sure about that?"  
  
Ragnarok appeared out of Crona's body and rested on his meister's head, "As long as there's food, I don't care."  
  
Kid walked down the stairway and approached the group, having overheard their conversation. "If it is no trouble, I would like to participate as well. There aren’t any missions today, so I’d like something to do." He said, speaking in his usual refined tone.   
  
"Aww, but I wanted to go to Chuck E. Cheese's!" Patty whined behind him as Liz stayed quiet and checked her nails.   
  
"Sure!" Maka replied happily. She then looked beyond her friends and noticed Caius and Claudia preparing to leave. She didn’t know them interpersonally like she did her immediate circle of friends, but she remembered how well they all they performed against the Gemini. Maybe extending her invitation to them wouldn’t hurt. "Hey, Caius! Claudia!"  
  
"Eh?" Claudia looked over to the Scythe Meister and asked her, "What do you want, Albarn?"  
  
"This may sound weird coming from me," Maka said cautiously, aware of her lack of interaction with them, "but...would you two like to join us for a study group?"  
  
Claudia blinked in surprise, a bit overwhelmed by the offer. Caius, on the other hand, was quick to respond, "Not quite sure if we need it."  
  
"Come on," Maka said insistently, "It'll be fun. Plus, it's easier to learn stuff if we teach it to each other. What do you say?"  
  
Claudia seriously thought about the proposition as Caius contemplated another way of politely declining. Just then, Blackstar jumped on Maka's desk while shouting loudly, "In that case, I'm coming too! We can train later! You little ones will need a big guy like me to help you!  _Hahahaha_!"  
  
The Demon Lance frowned. Blackstar’s sudden appearance put a stop to her consideration. "In that case, we'll pass. Let's go, Caius." She turned around and started walking toward the door opposite to Maka and friends, Caius right beside her.  
  
"Hold on!" Maka called after them, standing up from her seat, "Don't pay attention to Blackstar."  
  
Claudia stopped, turned around, and pointed at the Star Clan member. "If you think for a minute that I will sit in the same room with that idiot, think again!”  
  
"Hey!" Blackstar shouted back, offended, and shook his fist at her.  
  
"Hey, c'mon." Soul decided to speak up, "We're all trying to reach a common goal. It wouldn't be cool if we left out some friends."  
  
At the mention of the word 'friends,' Caius felt that his comfort zone being compromised. This prompted him to talk in a firmer tone, "Like I said, I don't think Claudia and I will need it." That, and he preferred peace and quiet when he studied, like when he did with Maka in Madrid. Judging from a first glance, Maka’s posse seemed like a rowdy bunch.  
  
"Besides, I have a cello lesson to attend to, and Caius has driver's E," Claudia announced, “So we probably can’t make it anyway.”   
  
Blackstar misinterpreted her statement and sniggered, "You guys gonna be jellos?"  
  
"It's  _cello_ , you numbskull!" Claudia retorted, shooting a blank-eyed glare at him.   
  
"U-um, maybe we shouldn't pressure them. After all, they seem to be busy." Crona suggested demurely.   
  
"That’s right! We  _are_  busy!" Claudia confirmed with a purposeful nod of her head. Her teal eyes then locked on to Crona, "But there is one thing I must ask you. Crona." The swordsman looked at her quizzically. The blonde walked over to Crona, leaving little to no personal space between them and straightforwardly asked, “Are you a boy or a girl?"  
  
“U-Uh—”  
  
Before Crona could utter another syllable, Caius had marched over and grabbed Claudia. “Ask Crona later. We got things to do, remember?" He promptly dragged her away, not sparing another glance to Maka, Soul, or the rest.  
  
"H-hey!" Claudia shouted, flailing her arms and legs like a helpless fish out of water, "I just wanted to knoooow!"  
  
Ragnarok laughed loudly as Crona watched on, unsure of how to interpret the situation. Maka disappointedly watched them leave. The others just simply shook their heads or shrugged their shoulders, dismissing everything entirely.   
  
Blackstar, however, was still rather curious, "You know, she's right. Are you a chick or a dude?" He asked, reaching for the hem of Crona's tunic.   
  
 _MAKA CHOP!_  
  


* * *

  
Once they were out of the classroom, Caius stopped dragging Claudia and let her go. He then bowed at her apologetically, "Sorry about that."  
  
Claudia stood up and brushed herself off, "I understand, Caius." She looked up to him and moved on to a more serious subject, "But, Caius, don’t think for a second I didn’t notice you skipped class. You  _never_  do that! What’s the deal with that?"  
  
Caius berated himself for underestimating Claudia’s attentiveness. The Lance Meister looked away as he responded simply, "Don’t worry about it."  
  
"Why? What’s going on?" Claudia pried. She remembered that her meister's interactions with others were minimal at best and peppered with reclusive behavior. She looked at him somberly, truly wondering why Caius acted this way. This had been going on since she met him two years ago. She knew she said she would wait until he was ready, but maybe if she could push him just a little. "Please tell me. I’m worried about you."  
  
Caius briskly turned around. It pained him to see the sad look on Claudia’s face. "I don't any more people close to me. Simple as that. Now come on. We're wasting time." He demanded firmly, completely avoiding all of her questions as he walked off.  
  
Claudia reached out to him, wanting to say more, but it was too late. Defeated, she sighed sadly. “Oh, Caius…" He ignored her, kept her at arm’s length, distant as always. She wanted to help, she really did, but she couldn’t like this. Another friend she could do nothing about. Claudia balled her fists, keeping away the memories of an old friend at bay. “When will it end?” She whispered to herself, finally following her meister.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to mention it is quite the challenge using gender-neutral phrases and descriptions for Crona. And, no, I will not use a definitive gender for him/her like most people would. I don't want to pick sides. Worse comes to worse, I'll simply use "it" in the most respectful way I can. Plus, I like the challenge in trying to emulate the apparent ambiguity shown in canon.
> 
> EDIT (12/6/15): More grammatical changes, a fix in Marcellus's attire, and the removal of Caius from the fight against Kid, replacing him with Kilik. He gets enough focus as is, and I believe what he does instead conveys the same message in a simpler, more concise manner.


	5. Keeping Your Allies Closest: The Secrets to Joint Resonance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Class Crescent Moon gets into the heart of Joint Resonance. Too bad it just gets harder from here on out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.

**Keeping Your Allies Closest: The Secrets to Joint Resonance**  
  
_Month 1, Week 1, Day 4 (Thursday, January 4th)_    
  
Bright and early, the Sun hovered in the skies above Death City, chuckling in its usual baritone manner. Although the sky was cloudless, the temperature was seasonal. Perfect for the conduction of a physical fitness exam on four to-be DWMA students.   
  
"Alright, Tsuji Anthony Ricardsen and Marcellus Ardsen, it's your turn to run."  
  
Located outside the school building was the running track, one of the areas that comprised the DWMA's physical education complex. There, Tsuji and Marcellus, wearing the male P.E. uniforms, stood in front of a dark-skinned woman wearing a sports jacket and pants. The three of them were positioned at the right straightaway of the elliptical running track.  
  
"Yes, ma'am, Ms. Nygus." Tsuji replied, eager to go as Marcellus simply nodded and spat out the naked lollipop stick in his mouth. "I'll go first by the way."   
  
Students who entered the Academy by recommendation typically had to do the physical fitness exams as part of the process. With its planned date still months ahead, Tsuji, Marcellus, Nayumi, and Rowena weren’t exceptions. After all, the Academy needed the physical data on their prospective students to see where they were. There was an unspoken rule around the DWMA that even NOT students had to be at least somewhat physically fit. The annual physical fitness tests allowed faculty members to tell if students were progressing or regressing physically and deal with them accordingly.   
  
Marcellus stood off to the side with his usual laidback posture and disinterested expression while Tsuji stood focused at the starting line. "All right, Tsuji, whenever you're ready!" Mira shouted one hundred meters away, holding up a stopwatch.  
  
Tsuji nodded as he kneeled down, placing his fingertips on top of the starting line, assuming the standard track runner stance. He held the position for a couple of seconds, concentrating on the task at hand: run one hundred meters as hard and fast as he could. Once he felt his mind clear of anything that could potentially impede his performance, Tsuji took off, and the time started.  
  
Tsuji stayed low and leaned forward, knowing that the rushing wind around him could slow him down if he stood straight up. The strides of his legs were quick and powerful, covering as much ground as possible with each step as quickly as he could. He pumped his arms to optimize running power. The Bow Meister kept his breathing calm even in the middle of this intense running.   
  
Tsuji focused his eyes solely on what was beyond the finishing line; a common psychological trick for runners—if people concentrated on the finishing line itself, they would slow down as they approached it, and, thus, their times would suffer. It worked because Tsuji was able to cross the one hundred meter line still at max speed, progressively slowing down afterwards.  
  
Mira pressed the stop button right as the boy crossed the finish line. When she looked at the stopwatch for his time, she nodded her head approvingly, "Wow, Tsuji. 6.11 seconds."   
  
"OH YEAH! I'm awesome!" Tsuji hollered to the high heavens. He started running the track out of sheer elation, showing how much energy he had left to spare, jumping and pumping his fists every now and then. "Ain't no one can beat me! I'm fastest meister in the Academy!  _Yee-aahh_!  _Whoo_!"   
  
"Actually, Tsuji," Mira spoke loud enough so that he could hear her, "Two people got better times in the last tests. One of them even broke six seconds." She said matter-of-factly, "Not to mention, that's not even close to the school record, which almost broke five seconds."  
  
" _What_?!" Tsuji exclaimed in disbelief, stopping his celebration. He failed to avoid tripping over a rock and fell flat on his face, completely ruining his 'victory' lap.   
  
Marcellus only sighed as he stepped up to the starting line for his turn.   
  
Meanwhile, inside near the running track, the weightlifting portion of the test was underway. The gym portion of the dojo harbored many contraptions and constructions, all monochromatically colored, designed to drill and beat any desired muscle of the human anatomy.  
  
Over at a power station, Sid Barret oversaw Rowena’s lifts with Nayumi watching expectantly. The girls wore the female P.E. uniforms. The Sledgehammer Meister was on the final exercise, the bench press. Back flat against the cushion and feet firmly pressed against the floor, Rowena carefully gripped the bar in line with her throat, closing her eyes and focusing on the task at hand.   
  
With a brief grunt, Rowena pushed the bar up and off its rest, the plates of weights clattering against one another. The orange-haired girl brought down the weight slowly and methodically, drawing in breath as she did so. Just before the bar touched her chest area, Rowena exerted herself, inputting all her strength in pushing up the weight. The bar rose just as meticulously as it fell as grunts of effort slipped out of Rowena. One final push allowed her to lock out her arms and keep the bar comfortably above her before she set it back.   
  
"Yay, Rowena!" Nayumi cheered her on, clapping enthusiastically.   
  
Sid only rubbed the back of his head as he observed how much weight Rowena just bench-pressed. "You are indeed Noel Ricardsen's daughter."   
  
Rowena, although panting, managed to flash a toothy grin. What she lifted was no regular bar, but rather, a specialized steel bar durable enough to accommodate much more weight than a regular iron bar could. On the sides were several iron plates collectively adding up to a total of 1,515 pounds.   
  
Sid could only shake his head. Very few students, or even people, required the specialized steel bar to complete any of the core lifts, "Well, I was never a man to deny talent when I saw it." He started writing on the clipboard as Rowena stood up from the bench and stretched her sore muscles with a content yawn. "Rowena Correlia Ricardsen: bench press 1,515 pounds; squat 1,750 pounds; dead lift 1,300 pounds; and power clean 800 pounds. That’s a total of 5,365 pounds."   
  
"How many records did I smash?" Rowena smirked proudly, eyeing at the zombie and expectantly awaiting her answer.  
  
"I don't think 'smash' begins to describe it," Sid replied, shaking his head again. He expected these types of results but seeing it done firsthand was something else altogether, "You  _obliterated_  some."  
  
Rowena giggled giddily at her accomplishment, sharing a high-five with Nayumi.    


* * *

  
_Month 1, Week 1, Day 5 (Friday, January 5th)_    
  
Caius loved whenever he could enter the Academy early. Empty hallways were so much easier to walk through. No rowdy people at every corner that obscured one’s every step. As he walked, he scanned through a book. Maka was right. This “Illusions of the Mind” was very interesting. Quite a few of this psychological stuff sounded like some Academy studies on the effects of Madness.   
  
As he approached the bulletin board, he closed the book. "Another fun-filled day at school." He said, stretching his back with a yawn.  
  
"Oh, hey, Caius!"  
  
Caius jumped a little, the book falling out of his grasp. He could have sworn he was the only one around at the moment. He looked to see none other than Maka hurrying over. "M-morning, M-Miss Maka!" He stammered, scrambling to pick up the fallen book.   
  
"Sorry! Did I startle you?" Maka asked apologetically, now before him.   
  
"No, no, you're fine!" Caius reassured, straightening up and shaking his head.   
  
"Oh, o-okay." Maka cleared her throat before she spoke, regaining her composure, "Again, I am so sorry." Since the two were the only ones around for now, and Maka genuinely wanted know how he felt after yesterday, she asked him, "So, how are you?"  
  
The blue-haired teen put his hands behind his back before he replied, "Oh, I'm fine. Just checking the mission board to see if there's anything Claudia and I can do."  
  
"Oh, I see." Maka looked around and noticed the Demon Lance was nowhere to be found, "Speaking of which, where is she?"  
  
"She's around, I guess," He answered. After they entered the Academy, Claudia decided to go off and get a mocha, and he had not seen her since. Caius then took note that Maka's partner wasn’t with her either, "And what of Master Soul?"  
  
"He's with Blackstar, I'm guessing." Maka replied, shrugging her shoulders. Soul probably found his best friend after he excused himself to one of the Academy’s bathrooms, she conjectured.   
  
"I see." Caius looked off to the side, specifically at the bulletin board. Then, he remembered that Maka and her friends held a study group a while back. He had to admit, he was curious. He didn’t ask the other day because it was spent watching the rest of the students in the Crescent Moon Class do that same assignment as before, "So...” He faced her again, feeling a bit awkward as he continued, “How was it? Your study session? Did it go well?"   
  
"Oh, it went well! Everything turned out fine!" Maka answered back, nodding her head happily. Then, her expression did a 180. Her smile turned into a droopy frown, her body slumped, and her pigtails drooped. “Even though a certain cat almost ruined it. Stupid animal.” She said, almost growling. Said cat pulled her usual antics on Soul but also decided to extend her behavior toward Blackstar and even Liz. It didn’t help that she returned home after an apparent night out with her unknown friends.   
  
Caius blinked a few times, registering what he was just told. “Okay?” He really wondered how a simple feline could almost mess up something like.  _“Maybe it needs to be spayed or neutered.”_  He randomly thought to himself. Of course, he didn’t know of a typical day at Maka’s residence.  
  
Maka sighed, desperately wanting to forget the embarrassment she felt. That, and her wrist still was sore from repeatedly hitting Blair with her book. "What about you? You had things on your end, too, right?” She inquired, getting off the subject.   
  
"Everything went accordingly." Caius replied simply, “I have my driver’s license now.”   
  
“Cool. Now you won’t have to walk to school like I do.” Maka replied.   
  
“I wish.” Caius shook his head with a dull look on his face, “That would require a car that I don’t have.”   
  
Maka laughed a little, “Then what was the point of getting one?” Caius smiled a little and let out a chuckle himself, realizing that getting a driver’s license seemed pointless under these circumstances. Then, a light bulb went off in Maka’s head. This was her chance to find out where Caius was this whole time, something that had been bothering since the Madrid mission. "Hey. Can I ask you something?”  
  
“That would be?"  
  
"Well," Maka twiddled her fingers, trying to figure out how to ask the question without seeming too prying, "When did you become Claudia's partner and how did you meet her?"  
  
Caius had to take a few, silent seconds to formulate his answer. No one ever actually asked about his apparently mysterious status as Claudia’s meister and a student. "Well, um," he began, "Claudia and I have known each other for two years; it’s not a recent thing. And, uh, as for our meeting," He honestly did not want to say much but feared skipping the slightest detail would ruin the answer. So he opted to say it all, "I saved her from some street thugs, and I've been with her ever since."  
  
"Oh, wow." Maka responded, marveling at the revelation. However, that was just background; he still didn’t explain his apparent long-time attendance. “But where have you been all this time? I always see her but not you. Well, at least until three days ago."  
  
"I've been a student here for as long as she has. You guys just never noticed me." He exhaled sharply, looking off to the side as he mumbled bitterly under his breath, "And I hope it goes back to that way.”  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Alarmed, Caius looked back at Maka and flashed her a meek smile, waving his hands furiously, "O-Oh, it's nothing! I was talking to myself! Don't worry about it!" Inside his mind, he was berating himself for almost letting Maka hear his last sentence.   
  
"Umm, ok?" Maka replied, looking at him weirdly.   
  
Feeling awkward, Caius tried to distract himself by examining the bulletin board. "Okay, let's see what we got here!"   
  
"Erm, right…" Maka also turned to look at the available missions. However, she couldn’t help but glance back at Caius from the corner of her eyes,  _“He’s such a strange guy. It's like he's hiding something. Even Soul was better than this when I first met him."_  Maka could confirm her own allegations by going back to his performance against Kid yesterday.  _"I wonder what that’s all about.”_  
  
Caius scrutinized all the missions with a frown, finding them all either unsatisfactory or disinteresting. He then thought sourly,  _"Ugh. Of course. I was hoping to do a mission instead of having to join those ridiculous teamwork lessons Mr. Ricardsen and Professor Stein are conducting. It's as if, ever since we teamed up with Maka and Soul, things are conspiring against me!"_  
  
"Hey. Caius."  
  
At the sound of Maka's voice, Caius snapped out of his thoughts and looked at her, "Yes, Miss Maka?"  
  
The Scythe Meister looked at him and flashed a smile of reassurance, "You know, if you need someone to talk to and Claudia is unavailable, you can come to me. No matter what, I’ll listen. Okay?" She thought this offer would help Caius with whatever ailed him. Yes, their acquaintance with each other was only three days as of now, but normal people didn’t really act like this. Maka felt that, as an exemplary Academy student, she had to assist someone in need.  
  
Caius's eyes dilated in surprise. Did she seriously offer him a kindness in spite of their short association?  _"W-Why is she being so nice to me? She doesn't even know me! And I don't know her."_  He thought, almost insulted by her perceived audacity. But, alas, Caius needed to respond, and he opted to give her the one answer that would send her away with the least amount of hassle, "Alright."  
  
Maka nodded, turning away as she then said, "Well, see you in class."   
  
Caius watched her walk off and, soon enough, an entirely new wave of thoughts invaded his head. Fingers dug into his book as he cursed that fateful day when they had to collaborate to fight the Gemini. He took everything at face value, expecting the team-up to be short and fleeting, never to happen again.  _"Why don't I just ask her not to worry about me anymore? Our association's through! And, yet, I..."_  
  
Caius didn't hate Maka, or none of the people he recently met. Really, he had no reason to. However, he also had no reason to befriend any of them. His situation was similar to bumping into a stranger on a busy street—a simple apology and then no more heed. Never again were they to cross paths.  _"So why do we keep encountering each other? Am I being told something? Or does she just have that effect on others? Why I can't spit out the stuff I really want to say? Am I just that soft and nice?”_  
  
Caius rested his forehead against the glass surface of the bulletin board, remembering the times when he was happier,  _“Can I not escape the me before everything went to Hell?"_  


* * *

  
"YOU ARE SUCH A JERK!"  
  
As soon as she walked into the door, Maka’s mood plummeted when she heard Claudia screech and saw her glaring up to Blackstar, who was looking down at her dismissively.  _“Can I have a normal morning for just_  once  _in my life?”_  With a sigh, Maka walked over and asked, "What's wrong?"  
  
Claudia whipped around to the Scythe Meister and replied in an outraged tone, "What's going on here?! Oh, I'll tell you what's going on here! Blackstar ate the lunch that I had my chef make for Soul! It was going to be my gift to him until this," She decided not to say the unladylike word she initially had in mind, " _PIG_  took it and ate it!"  
  
Blackstar shrugged his shoulders uncaringly, "What can I say? I was hungry."  
  
Claudia growled and pointed at him accusingly, " _Then, next time, bring your own damn lunch_!"   
  
Maka felt like pulling at one of her pigtails to relieve some of her irritation, "Do you two ever get along?"  
  
Claudia snorted, "HA! I would never get along with an idiot like Blackstar!"  
  
"HEY!" Blackstar shouted back, now shooting his own glare at the young girl, "Who are you calling an idiot?!"  
  
"Enough, you two!" Maka demanded firmly, raising her voice to establish order, "Class is about to start any minute. If Dr. Stein or Mr. Ricardsen come in and see you two squabbling like this, they’re gonna do something about it."  
  
Blackstar clicked his tongue, rolled his eyes, and crossed his arms, "Please. I’m not scared of them. Especially that dude people keep freaking out about.”  
  
"At least be careful around him!" Maka urged, just hoping this one time Blackstar would actually listen to her. Noel Ricardsen wasn’t the school disciplinarian for show. He used strict and, most of the time, violent means to subjugate those who exhibited delinquent behaviors. And Lord Death lets him because they worked nine times out of ten.    
  
"Maka, you all of people should know Blackstar is too stubborn to know when he’s outclassed." Claudia reasoned, shaking her head in pity. She honestly felt sorry that he was born with such a detrimental trait.   
  
Claudia’s comment hit Blackstar right where his pride was. That was something he wasn’t going to let slide. "Oh yeah?! I’ll prove it to you that I  _can_  take on that Ricardsen guy! I'll challenge him as soon as he comes in here!" The Star Clan boy grinned widely and pointed up to the ceiling, "After all, I am the star! The biggest man on campus!"  
  
Soul walked over, having watched everything from his seat, asked, "Maka, what in the world is about to happen?"  
  
Maka swallowed the lump in her throat, concerned about her childhood friend, "I think you'll see in a minute, Soul."  
  
Once the morning bell rung, everyone settled down and got out their supplies and whatnot, wondering what type of lecture or assignment the teachers had in store for them today. Soon enough, Professor Stein rolled in on his caster-wheel chair. Like always, he tripped over the ledge at the door and awkwardly fell over.   
  
Noel walked up to the floored scientist and dryly stated, "You’re going to trip every time, Franken."  
  
“Don’t worry. I’ll figure out a way not to soon enough.” Stein replied as he got up and walked to the front of the class, bringing along his chair. When he received his good-mornings from his students, he sat back in his chair and said, "Good morning as well. Firstly, I'd like to commend the majority for doing so well yesterday and the day before.   
  
“To be candid, I didn't think half of you would do so well." Noel muttered, leaning against the desk.  
  
"Take it as a compliment. Noel is a very difficult person to impress." Stein said, turning the bolt in his head loudly.   
  
"Difficult to impress, huh?!"  
  
All attention turned to the person standing atop on Stein's desk, none other than the Academy's resident loudmouth Blackstar of the Star Clan. His hands were on his hips, looking down at Noel with a massive grin on his face. He was determined to show Noel that he was the strongest and most fearless man on campus.   
  
"Blackstar, what are you doing?" Stein demanded, looking at him over the top frame of his glasses. His face was normally unreadable, but now, it was droopy and dull, much like anyone who was tired of these antics.   
  
"Get to your seat." Noel ordered.   
  
Blackstar pointed at the detention warden and shouted, "I have heard many stories about you, Noel Ricardsen, that you're big and scary. Well, I, the great and powerful Blackstar, have even gods that fear him! And I'll prove it to you! I'll challenge you!" The Star Clan boy expected a fanfare of surprised gasps and murmurs at his supposedly groundbreaking challenge. Instead, he got tired groans and humored laughs.  
  
"I will not repeat myself again, Blackstar," Noel stated, his cold tone unchanging, "Go back to your seat so we can start."  
  
"You can't order me around!" Blackstar growled, jumping off the desk and lunging at Noel. He geared back his right hand as his soul wavelength sparked on it, "I AM BLACKST—"  
  
Before Blackstar even had a chance to thrust his fist forward and perform Soul Force, Noel raised his arm and swatted the young boy away. Blackstar gritted his teeth but remained optimistic,  _"No problem. That isn't the first time I've been knocked away… wait, why hasn't my feet hit the flo—"_  
  
_CRASH!_  
  
Everyone who knew this was going to happen laughed even harder than before. Others who also knew opted to just shake their hands. Everyone else who had only heard stories or downright did not know looked on with shock as rubble and dust shot out from the wall. When it settled, a giant hole was in its wake. Curiously, Maka, Soul, and Tsubaki leaned over to see where Blackstar was but, to their horror, there was not just one hole but three, and Blackstar was stuck in a crater in a wall at the third hallway. Students in the first, second, and third hallways had stopped their activities to look at the obvious anomalies to their school's structure.   
  
Claudia was on the floor, holding her gut and kicking her legs frantically, very pleased to witness the 'Great Assassin' get so thoroughly beaten, "S-See! Th-That's what you get!" She cackled, her voice cracking a little.   
  
"You're paying for those. You know that, right?" Stein said matter-of-factly, shooting Noel a deadpan look.  
  
Noel sighed, "As I always do." Sometimes, having superhuman strength proved itself to be a curse as much as it was a blessing. His wallet could attest to that.   
  
Stein clapped his hands together, bringing order back to his classroom, "Alright, class, show's over, so let's get back on task."  
  
Noel spoke once everything calmed down, "Now that everyone is familiar with each other, we can move onto better things. Today's subject will be called 'Joint Resonance.'"   
  
Stein then explained the concept of Joint Resonance to the class, "Now, all of you are familiar with Chain Resonance, correct? Joint Resonance is very similar in that it does require a team of Meisters and Demon Weapons. However, when two pairs or more link, Joint Resonances unifies the Meisters' souls and then the Weapons' souls. The Meisters provides the avenues for linkage while the Weapons pass off dominant characteristics to each other. To sum it up, where one team has one Soul Resonance and another a completely different one, Joint Resonance will, shall we say, combine them into one, unified Soul Resonance unique to the linking teams."  
  
"Now, this task will be difficult, so I don't expect everyone to get it on the first try," Noel said but then added in encouragingly, "Just keep trying until you get it right."  
  
"Since there is an even number of meister-weapon pairs in the class, I want one team to partner with another of their choosing. Work it out until each pair has a partner." Stein instructed.   
  
Soul looked at Maka and said, "It's your call, Maka. Who are we pairing up with?"  
  
"Hmm." Maka scanned the classroom for her readily available choices. There was Caius and Claudia, a team she was familiar enough to participate in this sort of activity with. There as Kid and the Thompson Sister, a team she would have no problem resonating with. Then there was Blackstar, if he entered class again, and Tsubaki. Despite their conflicting personalities, she could make do with him since she managed with him during the Chain Resonance lessons. And finally there was…  
  
"Uh, M-Maka?"  
  
Maka looked to see Crona standing before her, rubbing its arm and looking down shyly. The swordsman asked bashfully, "I-if it's okay with you, will you and Soul be our partners?"  
  
Maka smiled, "Of course, Crona. You can be our partners."  
  
Crona’s head snapped up to look at her, blushing darkly in embarrassment, "R-Really? Oh, thank you, Maka!"  
  
"Claudia, you can find our partners," Caius said, leaning back in his chair and crossing his legs.   
  
"Okay." Claudia replied as her teal eyes scanned the vicinity for any viable partners. After a few seconds of searching, none of them seemed quite up to her standards, "I have no idea who we should partner up with." Then, she saw Kid and the Thompson Sisters not doing anything and got an idea. "Wait. I know." Hopping out of her seat, she went over to Kid and did a curtsey to show her respect, "Excuse me, Son of Death. It would be a great honor if you and your partners team up with me and my partner."  
  
Liz looked down at the young girl when she spoke, "Oh, it's you again."  
  
“Well, I don’t see why not.” Kid affirmed. It appeared none of his immediate friends needed help, so the least he could do was work with fellow classmates. Just then, the Gun Meister noticed how Claudia’s hair looked and instantly felt a compulsive urge. “Wait. On one condition.”   
  
Claudia blinked and tilted her head. “And that is?” Just then, Kid started redesigning her hair, moving the locks around and repositioning her bow. “H-hey! What are you doing?! Don’t touch my hair!”   
  
Before she could anything, Kid removed his hands, took a step back, and admired his work. Curls now lined either side of her face, and her pink bow rested at the center of her head. He smirked, admiring the symmetry. “Now you are absolutely perfect. Almost like a doll.” Patty fell on her butt and proceeded to laugh uproariously. Even smirking Liz seemed humored by how unamused Claudia looked. Kid then clapped his hands together with finality, “ _Now_  we can begin!”  
  
Tsubaki looked around anxiously, not having as much luck as everyone else. Firstly, she didn’t know if Blackstar was conscious enough to do the activity. Secondly, everyone was quickly being taken up by someone else. Then, she spotted Ox and Harvar along the top of the seating tier, seemingly without partners themselves. "Oh!" She quickly got up and approached the two gentlemen, "Ox? Harvar? Do you have any partners?"  
  
The two scholars gave her their attention as Ox responded, "No, Tsubaki, but I'm not quite sure Blackstar is capable of participating."  
  
"Not that we'd like him as a partner." Harvar stated distastefully as his meister nodded to show his mutual feelings.  
  
"No one seems available." Tsubaki reasoned. She didn’t raise her voice or show her disapproval. She continued to speak in her usual pleasant, soft-spoken voice. The words spoke for themselves.  
  
"Well, true. And I would never let my grade get compromised over anything." Ox replied sensibly. Making sure he kept his GPA right at or above Maka's was his greatest priority in the classroom. Yes, she was the descendant of a legendary and intelligent Scythe Meister, but this was today. He had no intentions of being second place.   
  
"AWESOME!"  
  
Tsubaki and Ox jumped in surprise, witnessing Blackstar land on the desk with a loud stomp. With the exceptions of two large bumps on his head and two missing teeth, it seemed he recovered from his one-sided defeat relatively unscathed. "We'll be like Batman and Robin! But, obviously, you’re Robin, and I’m Batman. You know why?  _Because I am the Great Assassin, Blackstar_!" Blackstar gloated, laughing boisterously.    
  
Tsubaki, Ox, and Harvar only sighed.  


* * *

  
"Is everyone present?"  
  
"Yes, sir!"  
  
When Meisters and Weapons were all paired up, Noel and Stein took the students of Class Crescent Moon out to the forest located in the secondary campus. They were now ready to begin the trial. Stein nodded to Noel, signaling it was his turn to take over, and he nodded back. The Correctional Class teacher looked at the students and asked, "Now, what two teams would like to come forth first?"  
  
Blackstar raised his hand, "WE DO!"  
  
By the time Claudia heard Blackstar, she had finished turning her hairstyle back to normal. Not wanting to be outdone by him, she raised her hand as well, "We'll do it!"  
  
"Alright, then step up," Stein instructed as they complied and separated themselves from their classmates, "Since you all are the first to go, we'll take it slowly. Firstly, all Weapons turn into their weapon forms." The Demon Weapons all transformed into their respective weapon forms as their Meisters held them. "Now, go ahead and concentrate. Try to resonate and synch up with your partners."   
  
"Both the Meisters and the Demon Weapons need to able to resonate with each other if Joint Resonance is to be used successfully," Noel explained, hands in his pockets, “It’s a lot more inclusive than Chain Resonance, but it pays off in the end.”  
  
Kid looked at Caius and asked him, "Ready?"  
  
The Lance Meister took a deep breath and replied, "Let's give it a shot."  
  
"Here we go." Ox said to Blackstar, who gave a thumbs-up.   
  
"Begin."  
  
"Let's go, Joint Resonance!" Kid and Caius shouted together, closing their eyes and concentrating on the task at hand. Generic, light blue soul barriers appeared around the both of them, crackling with wavelength energy. Soon enough, streams of soul energy exited from these barriers, slowly inching toward one another as if under magnetic attraction and trying to forge a connection. When all the streams connected, the soul barriers slowly expanded, trying to merge together and become one. However, the second they started moved, the connections suddenly snapped as the barriers popped explosively.  
  
"What went wrong?" Kid questioned, feeling as if he performed absolutely perfectly.   
  
"I-I don't know. Sure, it was a little hard to maintain, but I kept at it," Caius replied, panting slightly. He looked away in case guilt showed on his face, so no one could rightfully implicate him.    
  
"Joint Resonance!" Blackstar and Ox shouted, repeating the same process as Kid and Caius. They reached the point where the streams were supposed to connect; however, as they were representations of his personality and state of mind, the strands belonging to Blackstar's soul started to shake erratically as they approached Ox's. Deeming Ox’s wavelength inadequate, the strands receded back to their origin, ending the attempt in failure.   
  
"Huh?! Wait. Let's try again." Blackstar suggested, refusing to admit that it did not work.   
  
"W-Wha?" Ox tried to find a reasonable explanation as to why their Joint Resonance failed, but since Blackstar was so eager to try again, he had no choice, "Okay, fine. Again!"  
  
"Joint Resonance!" Blackstar and Ox reattempted Joint Resonance. This time Ox's feelings were a factor. His inherent dislike for Blackstar reflected in his soul wavelength, resulting in the Joint Resonance failing even more quickly than last time.   
  
"What the-?!  _Argh_!" Blackstar growled, stomping his foot on the ground in frustration.   
  
"There must be something we're doing wrong!" Ox stated irritably, "Blackstar, are you pulling your own weight?"  
  
Blackstar rolled his eyes, "I’m doing what I’m supposed to do. It's not my fault that your soul wavelength can't handle my awesomeness!"  
  
"Alright, class!" Stein announced, clapping his hands to get the attention of the others. He believed they had saw enough, "Get your partners and start trying it out for yourselves. Noel and I will be coming around to check up on your progress so get to work."   
  
The class nodded and dispersed to various parts of the forest to Joint Resonate, but like the volunteers, all of their attempts ended in failure. As Stein walked around two minutes into the exercise and noticed this, he sighed lamentably, "This might take a while."   
  
Noel examined everyone with a scrutinizing eye. Many became discouraged while others even degenerated into verbal squabbling.  _"In Joint Resonance, all members of a team must be able to resonate with each other. If even one member cannot link with another, the whole system won't work. Even the smallest incompatibility in soul wavelengths, the smallest doubt in your team, or not wanting their companionship will ruin it. That's why Joint Resonance is the ultimate test of teamwork, even moreso than Chain Resonance."_  
  
Meanwhile, Maka and Crona were having a similarly difficult time. Their number of attempts reached four, and it failed as miserably as the last. Crona looked at Maka when and quivered at the look of disappointment of her face. Whenever Maka got frustrated, she tended to look like she was in deep thought, and her eyes hardened into a sharper look. Crona, out of instinct, then exclaimed, "I-It wasn't me, Maka! I swear!"   
  
Soul's reflection appeared on the blade of the scythe as he said honestly, "Wasn't me either."  
  
Ragnarok used the mouth located above his sword form’s guard to voice his disdain, "This is boring, and  _and_  I'm hungry!"  
  
Crona looked down at the Demon Sword with a titled head. His statement outright told everyone Ragnarok wasn’t giving the full effort. "Ragnarok, are you even trying?"   
  
"Come on, Ragnarok, we need you to cooperate!" Maka demanded.   
  
"I  _am_  cooperating, thank you very much!" Ragnarok retorted obstinately.   
  
"I don't believe you." Maka stated frankly, narrowing her eyes at the Demon Sword.   
  
"Let's just try again." Crona suggested.  
  
Maka nodded to show her compliance. Then, she and Crona closed their eyes to concentrate. "Joint Resonance." They initiated the process as their wavelengths slowly came together. Soul kept his eyes closed, focusing on the task at hand as well. As the threads of soul energy came closer, Ragnarok started to dose off as the boredom began to overwhelm him, losing concentration. As such, before the streams connected, the soul barriers popped explosively.   
  
"Oh, come ON!" Maka snarled viciously, planting the shaft of the scythe into the ground. As an A-student, Maka was used to performing things nigh-perfectly. These repeated failures did nothing but make her increasingly frustrated.   
  
"I'm sorry, Maka." Crona apologized blamefully, "Please don't get mad at me."  
  
Maka sighed, calming herself down, "No. I'm not mad at you." That moment, she heard snoring. She looked down at Crona's sword and saw Ragnarok sleeping on the job. A vein pulsated on her forehead as she yelled, " _Ragnarok_!"  
  
Ragnarok instantly awoke, "WHAT?! I'M AWAKE!"   
  
"Ragnarok! You're making us fail!" Crona said distressfully.   
  
"No, I'm not." Ragnarok decried stubbornly, "You guys aren't trying hard enough!" Then, he moved onto a subject he viewed as more important, "Crona, what are we having for dinner tonight?"  
  
"Umm...chicken noodle soup?" Crona answered meekly, hoping the choice of meal would suffice the ravenous Demon Weapon.  
  
"We had that last time!" Ragnarok yelled disapprovingly.   
  
Soul slapped his forehead with a groan. He glanced over at Maka and flinched fearfully. She had a stern look on her face as she glared at Ragnarok. He recognized that expression as the one she wore whenever she spotted their target during missions.  _“We’re gonna see some black blood if this keeps up.”_  
  
After several more minutes passed, Stein spoke up, "Alright, everyone! Class is about to end, so stop what you are doing and convene!"  
  
The class stopped and walked over to their teachers, all feeling rather down about their lack of success. Noel didn’t want these kids to feel discouraged. Nobody ever got Joint Resonance on their first try. "Like I said, this is a difficult task. As long as you don’t quit, you’ll be fine. The only thing I can say without compromising the purpose of the assignment is be aware of your partners and of yourselves." Most of the class took what Noel said into consideration, wanting to apply it the next time they tried the exercise.  
  
"And, with that said, let us head back to the Academy." Stein pronounced, leading the pack as the students proceeded to follow him.   
  
Crona looked at the ground depressingly, "I should have never been born." Ragnarok rested on his meister's head, used to the pessimistic declarations of the Sword Meister.   
  
Maka gazed somberly at her friend and said comfortingly, "Oh, Crona. Please don't be like that. We’ll get it next time, just keep your head up." She reached over and titled Crona’s head upward by the chin, “Literally and figuratively.”  
  
Blackstar walked by them with his arms behind his head, disgruntled, "Man! This bites! So much for that!"  
  
"We'll keep trying, Blackstar. It's not that bad." Tsubaki encouraged, walking right beside him.   
  
In the back of the group was Kid, holding up his arm up to his eyes as he cried hysterically, "I'm garbage! I did not reach absolute perfection today! Just leave me on the corner during trash day!"  
  
"Yep! You are garbage!" Patty agreed blithely, complete with her usual gleeful expression.   
  
"Patty!" Liz scolded her younger sister and then put her attention back on her distraught meister, "Don't be like that. You are perfect. Just need a little push, that's all."  
  
Claudia walked beside Caius near the front of the group, arms crossed and pouting. "Well, that was a total fail.”  
  
Caius sighed deeply. "Oh, well." He replied tersely. He honestly had nothing else to say about the situation or the assignments. He really wished he could do something else to get his mind off things.   
  
Claudia sighed too and then looked up to him, "So, what should we do then?"  
  
For probably the first time in a very long time, Claudia noted, a very grateful and friendly smile was flashed at her by her meister, "Let's go on a mission."


	6. Conflicting Feelings: What Will Come Monday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a quick mission in Ireland, Caius and Claudia discuss expectations for Monday, much to the former's worry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.

**Conflicting Feelings: What Will Come Monday**  
  
Caius and Claudia decided to spend the rest of the day going on a mission in order to get some much-needed stress relief. The two stood in the hallway, inspecting the mission board intently and searching for at least one suitable mission. Unfortunately, neither of them had any luck. "I don't see anything, Caius.” Claudia announced.    
  
Caius sighed exasperatedly, turning his back to the bulletin board and crossing his arms, "Just our luck. I'm in the mood to kill monsters, and nothing satisfactory is up. How the heck are you supposed to become a Death Scythe at this rate?"  
  
Claudia turned to him, placing a hand on his arm comfortingly, "Hey, hey, don't worry. I'm sure we will find something. We just need a plan." The blond girl took her hand off him and cupped her chin contemplatively, thinking of a solution, "Hmm…" An idea suddenly popped in her hand as she snapped her fingers, "I got it!"  
  
Caius arched a curious bow, "What's on your mind?"  
  
"I am going to make some calls," The Demon Lance answered, taking out her cell phone, "Maybe we can find something that we can handle."  
  
Now that Caius thought about it, Claudia's parents Claude and Diana were members of the DWMA's Recon Association and Exploration Team. While Lord Death was the only one who could judge the caliber of an individual's soul, resulting in the persecution of Evil Humans, there were those – especially Monsters – that escaped even his notice, such as the Madagascar Trees and the Gemini. Thus, the Recon Association and Exploration Team was established. This particular division was responsible for visiting different places in the world for reconnaissance. In turn, they made reports on the various locations they explored and turned them in, ultimately resulting in the missions DWMA students go on now.   
  
Caius smiled, knowing that there was nothing to fear and that he would soon get his wish, "Go work your magic, Claudia."  
  
Claudia smiled and giggled, "Just leave it to me!" She turned away as she dialed a number on her cell phone. Caius folded his arms as he watched her, waiting patiently. Fifteen minutes elapsed before the blonde girl ended her phone call. She turned to Caius, smiling at him, "We have a mission to attend to."  
  
Caius smiled back gratefully, "Perfect. Where to?"  
  
"There seems to be an ogre in Ireland in the region of Bantry," she explained, "You might have to wait a little though. Something about proper business stuff. They’re supposed to let me know when everything’s in order. I’ll text you when it’s time to go."  
  
“So, just do something to kill time. Got it.” Caius nodded. His serious demeanor on the outside contradicted the excitement welling up inside him. He knew exactly what he wanted to do, something to get him away from the hustle and bustle of school life,  _"I just have to go back and get my MP3 Player."_  
  


* * *

  
Much like a typical city, there were parts of Death City that had yet to become as advanced as the others. Many of the lower-income houses and places were located at the outermost outskirts of Death City, the last layer before the desert itself. Buildings were smaller, the architecture was less grandiose, and less people were around. It wasn’t a slum, far from it, but compared to the areas toward the center of Death City, this region was simply dull.   
  
“Rigor Mortis Street.” Caius mumbled to himself, looking at the street sign at the corner of an intersection. He turned right and walked along the cobbled highway. Up ahead, he could see a complex with a large red shield plastered on the surface. “The Salvation Army. Soup Kitchen, here I come.” He declared, idly scrolling through his MP3 Player.   
  
 _‘Listen up, turn it up and rock it out’_  
  
“No.” He went to the next.   
  
 _‘It's just the beast under your bed, In your closet, in your head’_  
  
“Not in the mood for that.” He skipped the next several options.  
  
 _‘When the sun shines, we'll shine together, Told you I'd be here forever’_  
  
“That’ll work.” Caius smiled as he bopped his head to the rhythm, continuing on his way to the Salvation Army. Soon, he entered the establishment, talked to the receptionist, and was granted entry into the Soup Kitchen not too far from the entrance. The tile floor was clean, and the chairs were stacked on the tables. He could the hear someone in the kitchen, expecting it to be the same server he sometimes worked with. “Hey, April! You in there?”  
  
An old woman wearing a headscarf and apron tiredly looked out the large service window and saw him. “And here I thought you fell off the face of the Earth.”  
  
Caius chuckled as he walked passed open door and headed into the kitchen itself, “No. I’ve been busy. I got some free time now, so I’m here to help out.”  
  
“Well, brunch starts in 45 minutes, so get your gloves and hairnet and start setting things up.” April requested as she resumed her work, preparing the scrambled eggs.   
  
“You got it!”   
  
Although he didn’t come as much as he did a year ago, Caius always had this place on his mind. He valued life, and he admired those who continued to live on no matter what. Like the people who lived here at the Salvation Army. Homeless people, orphans, single parents, cripples; they tried to make it work regardless of the difficulties. Caius may went out and risked his life to prevent the rise of Kishins, but these people were the real heroes. Normal people living average or below-average lives against the odds, smiling and thankful for what they had. This was the least he could do for them – put on gloves, serve them food, and clean their mess.    
  
In 40 minutes, the small cafeteria was ready. The serving line had hot food, the coolers had water and tea, and the chairs were down. “Caius, they’re coming in soon.” April shouted from the back of the kitchen. Caius put his MP3 player on pause and stood behind the serving line, watching the door where the people were supposed to come through. He was more than content to take care of them himself. Ms. April, an old lady who worked here five days a week, did enough.   
  
Right at the quarter-hour mark, they finally came in. People of all ages and of different backgrounds stood in a line in front of the sign-in podium. Caius greeted all of these humble, unassuming individuals with a smile as he served them. When the coolers were emptied, he refilled them. When they asked for seconds, he gave it to them. Caius was simply more than willing to make him their servant.   
  
After about twenty of minutes, brunch started to wind down. They turned in their plates and idly talked at the tables, not yet ready to retire. Feeling that his job was done, Caius leaned against the wall behind the serving line and listened to more music to pass the time. He kept one of his earbuds out in case April called out to him.  
  
“E-Excuse me?”  
  
Caius opened his eyes to see a young boy peeking over the station. “Oh, hello there.” He turned off his MP3 player and removed his one earbud, approaching him. “What can I help you with?”  
  
“Can I,” the child stared at the remaining food. Caius heard his stomach growl and immediately guessed he hadn’t eaten anything. “Eat, please?”  
  
“Well, sure you can.” Caius replied, getting off the wall and grabbing a tray. He looked at the child again, estimating his age to be around thirteen. “Where’s your mom and dad? Are they elsewhere?”  
  
The boy looked down, shuffling his feet nervously. “They’re gone.”  
  
Caius blinked in confusion as he finished preparing the tray. It was scraps compared to the beginning brunch, and but it was enough nonetheless. “Gone as in…?” The boy slowly nodded his head. Caius winced as he instantly felt a figurative blade run through him. Most of the orphans he knew in the Salvation Army were considerably older. His heart bled for this kid; he had to survive on his own, at such a young age, with the Salvation Army as his only sanctuary. Instead of handing the meal over the top of the counter, Caius walked around, approached the child, and kneeled down with it. “Listen. Stay strong, all right? You’re in a good place with good people. Keep fighting. Keep learning. It’s going to be tough, but if you don’t give up, if you keep hope in your heart, you’ll live a good life.”   
  
As Caius handed over the food, he ruffled the boy’s russet hair, causing him to laugh a little. “Promise me you will, OK?” He got a few, rapid nods as a response. The boy then ran off to go eat, Caius smiling as he watched him. He was speaking from experience talking to that boy. Everything he said was from the heart.  _“And so I will. She will be brought to justice, for my sake and everyone else’s. No matter what, I will fight like I always have.”_  
  
Caius felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, and he immediately took it out and read the text from Claudia.   
  
 _‘Come on already! We have a mission, remember!’_  
  


* * *

  
Bantry, Country Cork in Ireland, a region of lush vegetation and rolling green pastures. Even at the dead of night, the farmlands looked beautiful with its valleys, hidden glens, hills, fast running rivers, woods, and forests. The duo of Claudia and Caius approached the first barn they spotted, noticing the ajar, red and white doors hanging loosely on its hinges. At the sounds of someone eating throatily, Claudia transformed into her lance form and slipped into Caius’s hands.   
  
The Lance Meister stopped near the opening, listening to the chomping of teeth and smacking of lips emanating from inside. He shivered at the crunching of bones and tearing of muscles. Unruly table manners didn’t even begin to describe this.   
  
“ _Gross_.” Claudia almost choked.   
  
“No kidding.” Caius groaned. Right when he was going to peek inside, they heard a wet and messy slurp. Claudia’s stomach twisted in a knot, and Caius almost vomited right there on the spot, “ _What_  made that- Wait, don’t answer that.” Steeling his nerves, he looked inside and saw a huge, gray ogre sitting with its back turned, tossing away mutilated body parts of a cow. Judging from the faint Madness Wavelength excreted by the creature, it had intentions of eating the poor bovine's soul as well. Careful not to cause any noise, Caius slipped through the opening and skulked furtively toward the hungry ogre.  
  
“Hit it while it’s distracted.” Claudia recommended.  
  
“I plan to.” Caius replied in a whisper. Inside his mind, he recited the battle philosophy of his old homeroom, the place where he developed almost all of his combat skills.  _“Exploit every weakness, use every advantage, and survive at all costs. Nothing should hold you back from winning.”_  Caius's free hand crackled with his soul wavelength and then was completely engulfed in blue wavelength flames. He knelt down, placing his flaming hand on the ground. "Quo Vadis!"   
  
From the ground around the ogre, several spokes of spiritual energy composed of the same flames around Caius's hand stabbed into the ogre, immobilizing it. The ogre oddly felt no pain, roaring as it struggled in its restraints. "Gotcha!" Caius cried out, charging at the ogre and stabbing it in the base of its spine. The ogre bellowed in pain as the blade entered its body, blood seeping out of the fresh wound. Smirking, Caius pressed the lance all the way in, making sure he had enough room for his grip, as the ogre let out a series of strained grunts and growls. With a hard tug, he removed the lance from the ogre's spine, spilling blood onto the barn's ground.   
  
"Haha! We got him!" Claudia declared happily. In spite of the spinal wound, the ogre still retained much of its strength. It reared its head back and roared in different pitches. Suddenly, two more ogres appeared, crashing through one of the barn's walls and sending dust and wooden debris flying. Their red eyes gleamed as they glared dangerously at the human harassing their brethren. Worst of all, they were armed with clubs and shields. Claudia's reflection showed her teal eyes widening at the sight of them, "Caius! It just called in reinforcements!"   
  
Caius turned around, witnessing the entrance of the ogres. "They just can’t make this easy, huh?" He said exasperatedly. Then, he heard a slight rumble. The meister looked forward again to see that the ogre had angled itself so that its arm was above him, preparing to crush him with its bulky fist. Caius quickly jumped back, avoiding the attack as it instead slammed against the ground.  
  
That was when the other two ogres charged at Caius, who looked at them uneasily.  _"I can't handle all of them at the same time. I’ll have to use Quo Vadis again and try to eliminate as many as I can."_  He thought. He wedged the lance in the pit of his left arm as both of his hands were engulfed in wavelength flames. "Quo Vadis!" He shouted, slamming his hands on the ground.   
  
The spokes of flaming soul energy tried to immobilize the two ogres, but they reflexively batted them away with their clubs and shields. "Darn! Didn't work!" Caius growled. The ogres continued charging. When they were close enough, both of them swung their clubs at the Lance Meister, but he back-flipped to avoid their attacks. When he landed, the Vladingham dug his feet into the ground and sprinted at the second ogre.  
  
The second ogre predicted his swing and blocked it with its shield. The third ogre capitalized on this, jabbing its club hard into Caius’s prone body. The boy flew into one of the walls, cracking some of the wood once his body hit it. " _Caius_!" Claudia shouted disconcertedly as he slid down the wall. The first ogre joined its friends, armed as well, and started approaching the fallen DWMA student. "Caius, they're coming!"   
  
Caius groaned and rubbed his head, forcing his eyes open upon hearing his partner's cries.  _"I wish I could use Deus Iratus, but then I’d have property damage, myself, and Claudia to worry about."_  He thought anxiously. He pressed his back against the wall and used it as support to get himself back on his feet, gripping the lance tightly with both hands.  
  
The trio of ogres loomed above Caius, drooling hungrily at the sight of the human morsel before them. Their crimson eyes brightened as their bloodlust reached a fever pitch. "We are so outnumbered!" Claudia worried fearfully, "What are we going to do, Caius?!"  
  
Caius defiantly eyed the ogres, trying to hide his uneasiness, but the tight grip he had on the lance told the tale. Judging from how profusely they slavered, the ogres could sense his fear. It whetted their appetites.  _"All they do is rely on brute strength and shields; not much of a strategy, but...it's still so effective when they work as a team..."_  
  
The first ogre raised its club, ready to begin the collective clobbering. " _Caius_!!!" Claudia shouted, loud enough to snap her meister out of his thoughts. Acting quickly, Caius tapped the tip of the lance on the ground and acrobatically flipped over the first ogre's swing. Holding nothing back, the Lance Meister swung his weapon in a downward arc as he fell forward, chopping off the ogre’s arm. The first ogre screeched in sheer agony, clutching its shoulder tightly to alleviate the searing pain gathering at the remaining bloody stump.   
  
Caius used the resulting confusion as a chance to create some distance between him and the Monsters.  _"No. If I can’t handle this fight, then I’m not strong enough to face her, and I_  know _I am."_  He thought resolutely, ready to finish the job as he idly twirled his lance.  
  
The second and third ogre turned around and snarled irately, rushing at Caius with their clubs ready. The bluenette kneeled down and then took a great leap over their swings. Caius landed on top of the second ogre’s head. "Time for a makeover." He quipped, flipping the lance into a stabbing position and aggressively ramming it into its face.  
  
The second ogre roared in pain as the third ogre quickly geared back its fist, aiming for him. Caius noticed this and smirked,  _"Good thing brute strength and numbers are all they have."_  He quickly removed the lance and jumped off the second ogre, causing the third to inadvertently deliver a right hook to the jaw of the second.  
  
The third ogre balked a bit, seeing that it completely missed its target. During the confusion, Caius landed before the third ogre and ignited his right hand with blue flames. "Regnum Dei!" He punched the monster with his fist, driving the wavelength flames into it. The ogre was consumed in a burst of fire, screeching as Regnum Dei burned it on both a physical and spiritual level. It felt nothing but pure, indescribable agony as the flames immolated everything. The monster futilely limped toward Caius in an attempt to get one last strike in, but its strength disappeared. The ogre fell over as the technique finished its course and left nothing but a Kishin Egg Soul behind.   
  
"Next time, behave yourself." Caius declared, showing no reaction to the death of the creature.  
  
The first ogre, having recovered from its injury, bore witness to the demise of its comrade. Enraged, it growled angrily and charged forth with thunderous stomps. The second ogre tried to follow suit; however, the hole in its face impeded its vision, resulting in it running into a wooden beam and falling over.   
  
Caius focused on the charging first ogre, spinning the lance in preparation. The first ogre swung its remaining arm, the one with the shield. Caius evaded it, but he could practically feel the hatred and rage behind the forceful attack, something that unnerved him a bit.  _"Even with one arm, this one might be tougher than the other two."_  He concluded, landing on the ground and staring down the first ogre. With his Soul Perception, he could see the anger distorting the ogre's soul wavelength, incensed by the death of its comrade and seeking revenge.   
  
The monster grunted, lifting up its foot and then stomping on the ground. A crater was formed beneath its foot, and the impact caused the barn to shake. Said action essentially confirmed Caius's concerns. "Definitely worse." He mumbled, presenting his backhand and bending the fingers back to beckon it.   
  
The ogre opened its mouth and summoned an orb of dark energy in its mouth. This orb subsequently unleashed a beam, tearing a huge, lengthy gouge out of the ground. The Lance Meister's eyes widened in surprise, and he narrowly sidestepped the beam. If Caius's reflexes had been any less sharp, the ogre's move would have shorn one half of his body from the other.   
  
"It's pulling out all the stops now! Oooh, this monster is going to be a pain in the butt!" Claudia whined in frustration. Of course this ogre would cause more trouble after they finally gained some leeway. The girl then saw the monster charging up its beam attack once more and yelled out distressfully, "Caius! We need to stop it!"  
  
More prepared this time, Caius jumped over the dark beam. "But how?!"  
  
Not that she doubted Caius's prowess, but Claudia knew he was getting tired from fighting this drawn-out battle against these considerably strong Kishin Eggs. Claudia then recalled the time when one of the ogres punched the other and caused significant damage. "Use its own attacks against it!"   
  
"I ask again. How?!" He questioned, dodging yet another beam by hurling himself to the side, rolling against the ground, and getting into a kneeling position.   
  
"You're the smart one!" Claudia retorted, " _You_  figure it out!"  
  
Caius groaned in disdain, "I was hoping you wouldn't say that." Adjusting his glasses, he locked gazes with the first ogre, the two of them ready to fight. Behind his back, the other ogre groped around in the hay and found a pitchfork. Growling as it recognized the shape of the object, it blindly tried to look for Caius, intending to impale the human upon it.  
  
" _What 'n the hell goin' on 'ere_?!"  
  
Caius and Claudia immediately looked toward the entrance of the barn to see a really angry farmer standing there with a loaded shotgun. Before anything else could be said or done, the second ogre instantly reacted, throwing the pitchfork over in the direction of the noise. Too bad its buddy was in the line of fire, resulting the pitchfork impaling it in the head. Caius stared on as the Monster degenerated into a Kishin Egg Soul. “Well, that was strangely convenient.”  
  
"Jesus na, ye darn lad! GET OUT ME BARN!" The Irish farmer demanded irately, aiming his shotgun at Caius.   
  
Caius's eyes shrunk to the smallest degree, "W-Whoa there! Wait, sir! THIS IS A BIG MISUNDERSTANDING!" He shouted fearfully, holding up the lance in defense. The farmer pulled the trigger, falling on his back from the recoil. The bullet ricocheted off the lance with a flash of hot sparks. Caius squeaked in a high-pitched voice as he fell over in shock. The bullet ended up hitting the second ogre in its chest and piercing its heart. That was the third and final Kishin Egg Soul.  
  
"Quick, Caius! Grab the souls and let's get out of here before that crazy old man shoots at us again!" Claudia screamed in terror. Even in the spiritual dimension of her weapon form, she could taste the vapor trail of that bullet.   
  
"You don't have to tell me twice!" Caius responded, springing to his feet. Fueled by adrenaline, he made a beeline for the nearest Kishin Egg Soul.   
  
By the time Caius was heading to the second soul, the farmer reloaded and took aim at him again, "Hold still, ye vermin!" He fired, and this particular shot came dangerously close to puncturing Caius's skull. He could feel the bullet pass through his hair, causing strands of it to scatter.   
  
This near-death experience triggered Caius's fight-or-flight system, making him run even faster than he thought he could, snatching up the second and the third soul in record time. "AND WE ARE OUT OF HERE!" He shouted, squatting down and jumping toward the ceiling of the barn. He slashed through it and rose out of the newly created hole. Upon landing on the roof, he slid down the incline and settled onto the ground. Hearing the farmer's voice, he raced off in the opposite direction. The farmer run out of the hole in his barn's wall only to see Caius disappearing over the horizon, swearing at him in his native language.  
  
Around the time the adrenaline wore off, Caius was well into downtown Bantry. He stopped running to catch his breath, "My goodness, I think my heart stopped."  
  
Claudia then reverted back to normal, appearing beside him. She placed her hand over her racing heart. "That was a close one." She sighed but then instantly perked up, "But the good news is we have not just one but _three_  Kishin Egg Souls! Isn't that great?"  
  
Caius straightened up after taking a deep breath, "Well, that is true." He reached into the lapel of his coat and withdrew the three red souls, letting them float in front of Claudia. "That brings the count to 40. We're almost halfway there." He stated, removing three lemon wedges for her.  
  
Claudia squeezed the lemons on the Kishin Egg Souls one at a time. She then ate them one-by-one, sighing contently afterwards, "C’est magnifique!" She then looked over at her partner and inquired, "So what do we do now?"  
  
"You think the jet will get us back to Death City in due time?" Caius asked.  
  
"Of course," she nodded, "Is there somewhere you need to go?"  
  
"Not really. I want to get home and go to sleep. I'm tired."  
  
Claudia frowned in disapproval, "Caius, it's Friday, and that's boring. I wanna go shopping."  
  
"Didn't you go shopping when we were in Spain earlier this week?" Caius questioned, staring dully at her. He was hoping Claudia wouldn’t do this to him.   
  
Claudia eyed him unabashedly, "So?"  
  
"So you don't need to," He replied matter-of-factly, "Besides, you have all weekend to do that."  
  
Claudia stomped on the ground with one foot, both arms down, and her knuckles up, "I wanna shop! I wanna shop!" she cried out childishly, "Now! Now!  _Noooooooow_!"  
  
Caius calmly watched her, "That doesn't work on me." To show how much he cared, he faked a bored yawn.   
  
"I don't care!" Claudia exclaimed, suddenly springing forth and grabbing his hand, "We're gonna shop whether you like it or not! Besides, I also need to find a new outfit to make Soul's head spin because I want to look good for my man~"   
  
“You do realize he doesn’t like you like that, right?” Caius asked blankly as he was helplessly dragged, wishing that Claudia would sometimes consider his feelings. She continued on, ignoring him.   
  
Soon, they were at one of the afterhours clothing stores. Claudia looked around and picked out different sorts of dresses, making Caius essentially be a human clothes-hanger for her. She was currently looking at a navy blue dress, eyeing his pleated hem curiously. "Caius, do you think this dress would look good on me?"  
  
Trying not to show his displeasure, Caius answered her, "Something of lighter color would suit you."  
  
"Hm. True." She agreed, putting it away. She then picked out a canary yellow, lace-up, sleeveless, cotton Lolita dress. Her teal eyes shimmered at the sight of the dress, heading to the dressing room to try it on.  
  
Caius stood there, having nothing to do but wait until something else happened,  _"I feel like one of her servants."_.   
  
Just then, an old woman walked over, having noticed a young man standing there with a not-too-pleased expression and carrying an assortment of dresses, "Find everything ya need, young lad?" she asked, doing her duty as one of the store workers.   
  
He looked at her, snapping out of his thoughts, "Hm? Oh, no. I'm waiting for someone. "  
  
That was when Claudia finally walked over, wearing the canary yellow dress and twirling around in it, "Caius! Caius! Look at me!"  
  
"Aww, what an adorable little lassie." The old woman commented, smiling.   
  
"Thank you." Claudia giggled, doing a curtsey and walking back to the changing room.   
  
"That ye little sister?" The old woman inquired, looking at Caius after she left.  
  
The bluenette shook his head, "She's not my sister, ma'am. She's just a good friend of mine."  
  
"Ah, I see." She grinned and nudged him suggestively, "Yer doin' great. Soon, she will be yours~” Adding in a wink, she further stated, "If ya need anythin', just let me know." That said, she walked off, leaving Caius with an agape mouth. He couldn’t believe she thought he had feelings for Claudia.   
  
The Moncharmin girl finally stepped out of the dressing room and walked over to Caius, "I'm ready."   
  
"Great. Let's get these things paid for and go." The two walked over to the cash register, placing all the garments on the counter as the cashier punched in their respective prices. After paying, the cashier placed all of the items in bags and handed them over to Caius. Saying goodbyes, Caius and Claudia left the store.  
  
Now, the two were walking out in the streets, Claudia leading the way as Caius held all the bags. "It sure is nice to see a change of scenery." The Demon Lance remarked as she looked around, "It's strange. In different towns and in different countries, there is always something unique about them. It's so peaceful here."  
  
"That's what culture does, Claudia." Caius commented. He had read somewhere that agriculture was one of the key social concepts of Ireland, and the lush and green Bantry attested to that.   
  
Claudia stopped when she took note of a small shop to the side of her, "Oh!" She ran over to the window that displayed several cakes and pastries. "So yummy. Let's go in!" She immediately ran into the bakery.   
  
"Hey! Hold on!" Caius yelled, running into the bakery after her. Claudia was standing there, looking around the bakery with wide teal eyes. Caius noted she appeared just like a little child in a candy store as he stood in the background watching her carefully. His eyelids lowered when he felt a sense of sentimentality sweep through him,  _"It feels just like...when we first met. I've always been the one watching over her."_  
  
Claudia turned around and walked over to him, "Caius, can I have the wallet for a minute?" she asked, her desire for sweets giving her a bit of an adorable air.   
  
Caius set down some of the bags so that he could reach into his pocket and retrieve the wallet. "Here you are." He handed it over to her.  
  
Claudia took it and walked over to the cashier. She ordered something, paid for it, and came back to him, carrying two vanilla sundaes with chocolate syrup and holding one out to him. "For you." She announced in a kind tone.  
  
Caius eyed at the sundae incredulously, for he didn’t expect it, "O-Oh, thanks, Claudia." He replied thankfully. Realizing his hands were full, he nodded to the direction of a booth, and they walked over. Claudia set the sundaes down on the table as Caius slipped the bags onto the floor. They sat there together, eating their delicious treats.   
  
"These are so yummy!" Claudia remarked giddily.   
  
"I agree," Caius replied after swallowing a spoonful, "Better the ones at Death Robbins." He felt himself relax a little now that he was able to enjoy himself without the threat of Monsters or the stress of school on his shoulders. Suddenly, he froze up when he thought about school. Come Monday, he and the rest of the class would undoubtedly continue their Joint Resonance exercises. Caius sighed as he put his spoon back in the sundae. "Claudia. Do you think we'll be able to do Joint Resonance with Master Kid, Miss Patty, and Miss Liz?"   
  
"I believe so. But it all depends." She responded honestly.   
  
"Depends on what?" He inquired, propping up an elbow and resting his chin in his hand.   
  
"It depends on each individual," she expounded, "Perhaps Death the Kid's wavelength is beyond ours since he's a Reaper." That was when Claudia gave her meister a suspicious look, "Or perhaps  _someone_  is holding back."  
  
Caius noticed Claudia's prying look and questioned, "What's with the look?"  
  
The young girl sighed, reasoning with him, "Caius… Everyone was on point today. Yet, I sensed hesitation from you when we were trying to do Joint Resonance. To ask me if we will be able to do Joint Resonance with them...that's not up to me. It's up to you."  
  
Caius slumped into the seat. “Yeah, I guess it is.” Unless he was able to put aside his feelings, they would never be able to Joint Resonate. However, that was easier said than done. Caius already engineered himself to be this way, and he had no intention of changing.   
  
Claudia looked up from her sundae at him. He actually admitted it. It was a stark contrast to Wednesday when he pushed her away. “Then what’s stopping you?” She questioned, hoping to get a little more out of him.   
  
Caius bit his lip. He didn’t want to reveal too much, but this was Claudia – the one person he meant no harm to. “I can’t tell you now. It’s… private.” He responded. Caius was one of those who were very quiet about past trauma and simply wasn’t ready to talk about the full details. “I’ll tell you when everything is said and done.”  
  
 _“Well, that’s a start.”_  She thought thankfully. Whatever happened to Caius, she guessed, had to be really bad. It explained his behavior to an extent. At least it was a little bit more insight to the person closest to her, someone she really wanted to know more about. “Ok. Just know this,” she held her hand out to him, smiling as a small blush appeared on her face, “I won’t leave your side because you’re my friend.”  
  
Caius hesitated. If he accepted her, Claudia would potentially be put into danger as he pursued the object of his vendetta.  _“She’s just- Oh, forget it. Caius, face the music, you’re stuck with her.”_  With a light sigh, Caius returned the smile as he reached out and held her hand, “Yeah. Friends.”  
  


* * *

  
 _Month 1, Week 2, Day 1 (Monday, January 8th)_  
  
It was so early in the morning Monday that the sun had not risen over the horizon. The blue sky was still a deep shade of blue. Many citizens of Death City were still in slumber, awaiting the greeting rays of sunlight to enter their windows.  
  
This included the expansive Death Weapon Meister Academy, save for the quiet footsteps of the security guards. Today would appear to be another successful day on the job as they patrolled the grounds. However, they couldn’t clock out for another, so they remained vigilant. There was no telling if a destructive Witch or hostile Kishin Egg would suddenly spring from the shadows and wreak havoc inside the Academy itself.   
  
Or a duo of security-savvy students.  
  
Two people expertly avoided guards and kept their footfalls silent. Pairs of bronze were on constant lookout, their expressions focused. The two gentlemen moved with agility and precision, their respective dark red and dark blue coat billowing behind them.   
  
After much sneaking around, the two finally made it to their destination: the Correctional Classroom. "Darrel, pick the lock." The one with the red coat demanded, shifting the black bag he was carrying as he looked up and down the hallway for any possible guards. He wiped some of the seat building up at his roman silver brow.  
  
"Worry not, Jarrett." Darrel calmly replied, kneeling and holding up a finger as it glowed. Subsequently, it morphed to a large curved, stainless steel blade. Darrel inserted it into the keyhole of the classroom, slowly and methodically fiddling with the lock. A click was then heard, signaling that he had successfully picked the lock. "We're in." He announced, standing up and entering the classroom.  
  
Jarrett smirked, "Perfect. Hurry and unlock the windows too." Giving the hallways one more inspection, he reached into the pocket of his black denim pants and pulled out his cell phone. Punching a few buttons on the interactive touch-screen surface, he held up the phone to his mouth and whispered, "Eagle has landed. Come on in, everyone."  
  
Inside the classroom itself, Darrel quickly unlocked the windows and pushed them open, the morning breeze sweeping his aquamarine hair. Jarrett entered in a few seconds afterward, closing the door behind him quietly. "Are they coming?" Darrel inquired, going down the steps and meeting his partner at the front of the class.  
  
"Some are en route right now. Others are coming out of hiding." Jarrett explained, slipping off his coat to reveal a male DWMA student top to complement his dark denim jeans and black boots. He tossed the black bag on the ground, kneeling down to unzip it.  
  
"Now, we wait." Darrel muttered, leaning against the teacher’s desk.  
  
Within minutes, fellow Correctional Class students entered the classroom. Some came in via the opened windows as they lived near the Academy and simply climbed the façade itself. Others entered through the door, having stowed away in various places inside DWMA to hide themselves until now. When Darrel sealed the windows again, that let the Correctional Class know that everyone involved had arrived.  
  
"This everyone that came?" An African-American, sixteen year-old young lady asked, gazing around the large room with her brown eyes. Her dark brown hair was braided into a high ponytail. She wore a red hoodie jacket that exposed her belly, light-blue jean shorts, and red and white converses. For accessories, she wore two, large hoop silver earrings and silver and black stud belly piercings.  
  
"Yeah, Tina. Some we couldn't tell. Some just bailed on us." A lanky individual scoffed. He was a Caucasian, sixteen-year-old with dirty blond hair, blue highlights, and ocean blue eyes. He sported a gray and blue-striped tank top, an open blue jacket with frostbite designs on the sleeves and collar; gray shorts, and blue and white vans. For his accessories he wore a blue beanie hat, a black string with a blue crystal shaped like a spear, and blue earskin plugs.  
  
"Like it matters, Andy," Jarrett laughed, catching everyone's attention as he pulled something out of the bag and flipped it upwards. He expertly caught and balanced it on one finger, spinning it around. He let it drop in his hand, showing everyone it was a can of spray paint. "You guys ready to have some fun?"  
  
Evil snickers and laughs were his response, the group of delinquents showing their items and contributions to the scheme. They proceed to pass around different colors of spray paint, inflated and filled balloons, markers, and other forms of graffiti.   
  
"I don't know what drugs Mr. N was taking when he let Mr. Death Scythe be our sub." A dark-skinned student said, shaking his head.   
  
"Hey, like Jarrett said, don't matter," Another student replied, "We’re out to play. And Lord Death spent the night at Kid's place. This our territory now."  
  
Jarrett threw up his coat and slipped his arms through the holes. He trudged toward the door with his crew eagerly following behind him. "Ladies and gentlemen, this party’s about to get crazy.” He proclaimed as Darrel stood beside him, approaching the door and violently kicking it open.  
  
"The DWMA is in for one  _hell_  of a wake-up call."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit (3/8/15): This, along with Chapter 2, is probably the most heavily edited chapter so far. Why? Well, reading back on the early chapters, I botched Caius's portrayal. I made him complain too much about this and that, and I'm sure readers got tired of his feelings getting beaten in their heads. Overall, he felt like a depressing character when I wanted him to be inspirational but misguided. So, not only did I fix up stuff in previous chapters, I provided a bit more positive development in this one. I also showed a little bit more of Claudia's personality (shockingly, she isn't just a bratty rich girl with a fangirl crush on Soul). Hope you like it.


	7. Cancer Lucrenian: Her Terrible Experiment?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maka and Soul head to Venice, Italy with Caius and Claudia, and there is something sinister waiting for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.

**Cancer Lucrenian: Her Terrible Experiment?**  
  
The laughing sun hovered in its usual spot in the skies above Death City, gracing the "Oasis of the Desert" with its shining and radiant presence. Many people headed out to their jobs and occupations, including the students and faculty of Death Weapon Meister Academy.   
  
One such faculty member, Noel, took slow and methodical steps along the road as he scanned one last time through the papers in his hand.  _"If these kids get into the school, thank God. This will be the last time I have to walk to work."_  He thought, evening the papers out before placing them inside his black shoulder bag. He held up his hand to his mouth and let loose a yawn.  
  
"Late night, Noel?"  
  
The disciplinarian gazed to the side to see his coworker, Stein, walking up to him with his hands inside his lab coat. "A little," Noel answered, looking forward again, "Not only was I grading papers from my actual classes, I was finalizing student application documents for my children. That's why I'm going to see Lord Death now, so he can approve of them, and they can finally come to the DWMA."  
  
Stein removed one of his hands from his pockets to regulate his glasses, "They won't be coming to my class, will they?"   
  
"You'll live." Noel replied dryly, even though he knew Stein was being flippant and did not mind at all.   
  
"Stein! Noel!"   
  
Both gentlemen ceased walking when they heard their names being called. Following the source of the voice, they looked to the side to see a familiar face running out of the nearby alley. It was Spirit, but he was in a state of complete dishevelment. His red hair was embarrassingly jutting out to every direction, his suit blazer and shirt were filth-ridden and torn up as if he spent the night in a cage of jaguars, and his signature cross tie was missing entirely.   
  
Spirit stood in front of his colleagues breathing heavily as they looked at him unresponsively. Giving him some seconds to catch his breath, Noel and Stein asked in a dull tone, "What happened to you?"   
  
Spirit released two long huffs before speaking slowly, "I was….beaten up… and then locked in the janitor's closet… without food, water or a bathroom…FOR  _DAYS_!" The Death Scythe burst into tears, slipping to the ground in a pathetic, fetal position.   
  
Noel almost dropped his belongings. "Days?" He repeated, staring at the sobbing man incredulously.   
  
"YES, DAYS!" Spirit shouted, shooting back to his feet and waving his arms erratically, "And do you wanna know  _why_  I was imprisoned within the walls of my own workplace?!"  
  
“Don’t tell me Noel’s class got the best of you.” Stein deadpanned.   
  
Noel slowly turned his head to the scientist, his visible eye boring a hole into his head. “Don’t tell me you got Spirit as my replacement.”  
  
Stein kept his eyes on his former weapon partner. “Spirit, just calm down and tell us what happened.”  
  
Spirit sunk to the ground again, "It's a short, sad story."  
  
_Spirit stood in front of the Correctional Class, all watching him in complete disbelief, and gave them a professional smile as he introduced himself, "Hello, Correctional Class. My name is Mr. Death Scythe. I will be teaching you until further notice."  
  
One student stood up, a malicious grin stretching ear-to-ear on his face, "Alright! A sub! LET'S BEAT HIS ASS!"   
  
Spirit's face blanched, "Wait, wha—"  
  
Next thing he knew, an avalanche of delinquents came at him. _  
  
Noel’s stoic expression repeatedly fluctuated. One second, he was expressionless; the next, his jaw slackened as he twitched. Even though he ultimately kept a leash on his emotions, Stein could read his mind: trouble was guaranteed to happen with nobody supervising them. “Okay. I think we should continue this conversation with Lord Death present." Stein said.   
  
"He spent the night at Gallows Manor with his son." Noel answered and then looked at the seemingly normal Academy standing tall in the far distance, "Perhaps he's in the Death Room by now."  
  
"Oh, and here's another thing!" Spirit cried out in outrage, pointing to the Academy with a shaky finger, "You won't believe what those… those… _Kishin hell spawns_  did to the school!"  
  
Noel and Stein sighed in unison. This was going to be a long day, and it hadn’t even started yet. 

* * *

  
Meanwhile, in the Death Room, Lord Death's personal mirror pinged a few times, causing light blue ripples to flutter across its surface. Then, a large white hand reached out and grabbed hold of the mirror's brass frame. With a quick push, the God of Order removed himself from the depths of the mirror and landed softly on the platform inside his domain.  
  
"It certainly does feel great to the leave the Academy for once." Lord Death said contently, stretching his long body to remove any achiness in his muscles. While it was true that he seldom left the Academy, the only reason was that he needed to monitor the world and its current state of order within his sanctum almost continually. During the times he felt he could step away, he would leave the Academy and stroll around Death City to see how peaceful it was. Though, Lord Death lamented the fact that that was all he could do since he was physically restricted to the city limits as a consequence of events almost eight centuries ago.   
  
Then, Lord Death heard a series of footsteps. He looked over to the tunnel of torii gates and saw Noel, Stein, and Spirit heading over. "Oh! Good morning!" The God of Death greeted them. However, then he noticed the state of disarray Spirit was physically in as well as the bulging trash bags Stein and Noel were dragging. "Oh my goodness! What is the meaning of this?"   
  
Stein sighed irritably, "Many things. But we’ll start in order."  
  
Noel walked up and handed over the student application papers, "Firstly, I would like to present you these student application forms for my son, Tsuji Ricardsen, and my daughter, Rowena Ricardsen, and their respective weapon partners, Marcellus and Nayumi Ardsen. With your approval, I hope for them to able to attend the DWMA as soon as possible."  
  
"Oh goodie!" Lord Death chirped happily, taking the forms and looking over the applications. It consisted of their physical fitness information, performance on the prerequisite missions, and general personal information. He was impressed by their credentials. "This is delightful! I will enroll them immediately." He looked at Noel and announced, "They may come tomorrow!"  
  
Noel nodded, "I will make sure they are here."  
  
"Now then," Lord Death gazed at Spirit and scratched his head, perplexed, "What happened to you, Death Scythe?"  
  
"Three words: the Correctional Class." Spirit answered disdainfully, feeling as if those words and his current condition said it all.  
  
"Were they really that difficult to handle, Spirit?" Stein questioned.   
  
"YES!" The Demon Scythe hollered uproariously, pulling at his already messy hair, "You think I did this to myself?! Am I speaking Japanese to you all?! Those kids were MONSTERS! I'm surprised that they are not Kishins! Those... _bullies_!" Unable to take it anymore, Spirit slumped to the floor and sucked on his thumb.   
  
"And as Spirit grovels like a whiny baby," Noel spoke with a hint of disgust beneath his usually cold tone, "It seems my class of juvenile delinquents took advantage of not having someone to keep an eye on them. And they've already acted, hence why Stein and I are hauling these bags of trash and items."  
  
Lord Death rested his large hand over his face, shaking his head. "Oh dear. It seems we have quite the problem, gentlemen."  
  
He dreaded to know what his Academy looked like after the Correctional Class got done with it. 

* * *

  
The Correctional Class had absolutely  _vandalized_  the DWMA.   
  
The entirety of the structure was littered with graffiti, unceremoniously drawn markings, and various dark colors of paint carelessly splattered onto spots of the façade. On top of that, flung rolls of toilet paper and trash bags hung from many of the spires, cones, and edges. And when it seemed like they ran out of those two items, they resorted to using streamers and ribbons of an ugly greenish black color to finish up the job. Overall, the DWMA went from a magnificent landmark to a trashy eyesore by the hands of the unruly Correctional Class as the ultimate sign of disrespect and anarchy. Needlessly, no self-respecting member of the DWMA appreciated this defilement.  
  
Not even the heroes from the Crescent Moon Class.   
  
Tsubaki, Kid, Soul, Blackstar, Liz, Patty, Maka, Crona, and Ragnarok all stood in the area between the flight of stairs and the entrance, staring up at the tarnished Academy with varying degrees of shock and disgust.  
  
"W-W-What the heck happened to the academy?!" Maka practically screamed.   
  
"Well, at least it looks more colorful." Patty commented offhandedly.   
  
"We need to report this to the teachers!" Tsubaki suggested, glancing all around her circle of friends.   
  
Ragnarok snorted in response to the Shadow Weapon, "I think the teachers would've see this by now. Not unless they're blind like frickin' bats."  
  
Kid was taking it the hardest. His gilded eyes had dilated to the smallest degree, and his mouth refused to stay closed. Trash and unseemly etches were everywhere. The inside probably didn’t look any better; perhaps even worse than the outside. His father's school, absolutely perfect and symmetrical, was completely ruined. The young Reaper's neurotic tendencies came to the surface full blast. Unable to cope with the defilement of the school, Kid's eyes rolled to the back of his head as he fell back and hit the ground hard.   
  
"Oh, crap. Kid just passed out." Soul announced, looking at the fallen Shinigami with a neutral expression.   
  
"Oh, great." Liz groaned in disdain, dreading the earfuls to come when her meister awoke, as Patty laughed uncaringly.  
  
"Students and faculty, listen up!" Maka and the gang recognized that as Noel's voice as it boomed over the loud intercom. "We’ve conjectured that 50 Correctional Class students have escaped and are running rampant all around campus and the city. You have Lord Death's permission to use whatever means to take them down."  
  
After hearing the news, Maka looked at her partner and said seriously, "Well, looks like we're needed."  
  
"Hey, this beats class in my opinion. Let's do this, Maka." Soul stated before glowing blue and slipping into his meister's hands as a scythe. Maka twirled the weapon and firmly grasped it with both hands.   
  
Blackstar cracked his knuckles and grinned eagerly, "Butt-kicking in the morning? This’ll be like training. Right, Tsubaki?"  
  
"Well, I guess it is. Might as well make the most of it." Tsubaki said brightly before glowing yellow, turning into her chain-scythe form, and falling into Blackstar's hands.   
  
"Ragnarok, we have to stop the bullies." Crona said simply, understanding the orders given.   
  
"Well, hell, ain't got to tell me twice!" Ragnarok responded excitedly, grinning as his body dematerialized into a black substance and receded into Crona's body. Then, Ragnarok jutted from Crona's hip in the form of a sword, and the swordsman promptly removed it, holding the weapon in one hand.   
  
"They're going down!" Patty exclaimed excitedly, pumping a fist.   
  
"Kid, get up!" Liz urged, shaking her unconscious meister in an attempt to bring him out of it his OCD-induced black-out.   
  
Out of nowhere, Kid's body rose back on its feet, almost as if on its own. His stance was off-balance – like that of a limp puppet that managed to stand on its own for the first time. "How  _dare_  those pieces of trash defile the sanctity of the Academy." Kid finally spoke, but his normally refined voice was deeper and viler than usually. His golden eyes showed nothing but rage and hatred, augmented by the dark shadows on his face. "They will  _pay_."   
  
"Yeah!" Patty yelled, pumped up by Kid's dark countenance. Liz tried to speak but only a frightened whimper came out. Kid could become very unpleasant when someone pushed his love for symmetry too far. The Thompson Sisters glowed pink and promptly changed into their pistol forms, slipping into the Shinigami's hands.   
  
"Let's go, everyone," Kid commanded, spinning the pistols a few times before positioning his pinkies at the triggers, "We haven't any time to waste!"  
  
With that said, the gang dispersed, some heading into the school while others went back down the stairs into the city. Inside, the state of lawlessness continued: desks and tables were overturned and thrown, graffiti were drawn and sprayed on walls, and trash littered the hallways. Some of the Correctional Class had the audacity to stay at school and brag about how they thoroughly enjoyed defacing the Academy, all the while mugging any hapless students they came across for their money or other valuables.   
  
Every other able-bodied faculty members and students immediately responded to the situation, springing into action by subduing any and all Correctional Class students in sight. Some put up worthy fights – and, in rare cases, actually claimed victory and escaped – while others were put down easily.   
  
"Man, what a mess." Maka commented as she kicked an empty can in the way.  
  
Crona looked around somberly, "Why would they do this?" The swordsman asked, really wanting to know the answer.   
  
"Because they are nothing but punks that don't care about anyone but themselves," the Scythe Meister explained scornfully, getting a glimpse of some delinquents up ahead, "and they need to be put in their place."  
  
"Well, let's get to it then." Soul said as the two meisters proceeded toward them.   
  
The gang of five roughnecks stood around, marveling the collective work of theirs and their classmates. They did not notice Maka and Crona approaching them with the former yelling authoritatively, "Hey! Punks!" The students frowned and turned around, seeing the two meisters brandishing their weapons. "In the name of Lord Death, you will face punishment for your misconduct!" Maka declared.   
  
"Y-yeah! Come quietly or else." Crona attempted to be as vocal as Maka; however, the quintet was unmoved.  
  
"Is that a guy or a girl? I can't tell the difference." One of the delinquents remarked offhandedly, flicking away his cigarette.   
  
"Dude! It's obviously a girl. She's a wearing a dress after all." The sole female member stated matter-of-factly.   
  
"Unless it's a fag." Another one suggested uncaringly with a shrug.   
  
Crona's head lowered at the allegations, the meister's self-esteem diminishing. Maka growled and barked at them, "Leave Crona alone!" She twirled the scythe and got into a battle stance, gripping the handle of the weapon tightly, "You're coming with us whether you like it or not!"  
  
"Prepare to get your asses kicked!" Ragnarok shouted, laughing evilly.   
  
Crona held up the demon sword as the Correctional Class students engaged in battle stances themselves, ready to fight the two meisters. "Ragnarok. Scream Resonance." Crona said softly.   
  
"Peee-Yooww!!!" The mouth on Ragnarok's sword form opened wide, screaming out a loud sound wave. It radiated throughout the hallway, shaking its very walls. Caught completely off-guard, the quintet of delinquents covered their ears and hollered in pain, leaving them wide open for an assault.  
  
"Let's go, Soul Eater!" Maka shouted, charging forward and initiating the beat-down.   
  
Not every part of the Academy was subjected to vandalism. One such location was the library. Clean and pristine, it expanded to at least three floors with bridges connecting the opposite sides of each floor and enormous chandeliers hanging on the ceilings. Shelves upon shelves of books lined the walls and some aisles on each level, accompanied by redwood desks with torches alit for readers to use.   
  
At the first floor desk was a middle-aged woman dressed wearing a light navy suit, tie, and dress pants complemented by a white Polo undershirt and flats. She was on the computer cycling through surveillance shots, watching various faculty members and students fighting Correctional Class students still in the DWMA. She contemplatively tucked a few strands of her black hair behind her ear, the few out of place from the bun that held up a blue, Lord Death-style hairclip, in order for them not to obscure her rectangular-frame glasses. Her golden amber eyes studied the images carefully.   
  
She sighed wistfully, reclining back in her seat as she grabbed a nearby handheld mirror, intending to report her findings to Lord Death, "If only I wasn't retired, I could help." However, before she had the chance to blow her breath on the mirror, the doors of the main entrance to the library violently flew open, startling her.  
  
"I can't believe we forgot this place!"  
  
"Yeah! I hate the library!"  
  
The woman saw three Correctional Class students storming in the library. It appears they had escaped from a battle or two prior to their forced entry. They were panting, and their clothes were ragged. She started to panic. Not only was she a retired meister and therefore did not have most of her skills anymore, but she also lacked a nearby weapon to defend herself with or use to subdue them. Nonetheless, she could not sit back and let them go. She leapt over the counter and yelled at them, "Hey! What do you kids think you're doing?!"  
  
The female member of the group looked at the librarian, holding up a lighter and flicking on a flame, "About to light this place up!" she proclaimed, grinning crazily at the older woman.   
  
However, before anything else could be said or done, the doors burst open yet again. It was Noel, and his icy glare locked onto the three, "Who goes there?"   
  
The trio of delinquents turned around, faces blanching at the sight of their teacher and disciplinarian, "CRAP! It's Mr. N!" They screamed fearfully, putting away their lighters as they ran for their lives to the other side of the library, heading out the other exit.   
  
Noel growled, "Lousy children." He then noticed the stunned librarian close by and spoke in his normal voice, "Oh. Kathi. I apologize for the disturbance."  
  
Kathi took a deep breath, calming herself down, "It's fine, Noel. Don't worry about it."  
  
"Keep holding down the fort here in the library," Noel commanded, "If any more barge in, notify me immediately. Now, please excuse me; I need to chase down those three."  
  
"Uh, okay." Kathi responded unsurely, waving Noel off as he dashed away. The black-haired woman sighed, slumping over a little bit, "This job is so stressful." she commented, overwhelmed by the entire situation caused by the Correctional Class.   
  
The remaining Correctional Class students that decided not to be around to enjoy the fruits of their labor either stayed in their apartments or meandered around town as if they were enjoying a day of leisure. However, when they heard word that the DWMA was after them, they tried their best to blend into the crowd or simply locked their apartment room doors to stay hidden. It would prove futile. The students and faculty members rounding them up within Death City matched the efforts of those in the Academy.   
  
Stein managed to corner a few of the Correctional Class students in a dead-end alleyway. The DWMA's legendary meister had an eerie smile on his face as he hitched Spirit in his scythe form on his shoulder. "Alright. Now who wants to be dissected first?" The bespectacled meister asked murderously, his glasses glinting.   
  
"Payback, ya punks!" Spirit said childishly, his reflection on the blade of scythe showing him grinning eagerly.   
  
Elsewhere, Kid worked double time, charging head on to fleeing students. He blazed in front of his targets and fired several rounds at them. “I bet you fools don’t even know how long it took to make the Academy that perfect.” He yelled, full of hate and rage, as he continued shooting, “I’m going to teach you the error of your ways! I’m going  _make_  you remember this day. This won’t  _ever_  happen again! You understand me!?”  
  
“K-Kid!” Liz shouted, shaking as her teeth chattered in fear, “D-Don’t kill them!” Right beside her, Patty flailed on the floor and laughed raucously. Liz’s trepidation stopped for a moment as she looked at her sister in disapproval. “Patty! This is nothing to laugh about!”  
  
It took a total of two hours and a half to successfully apprehend all Correctional Class students involved in the incident. Now that that was finished, there was the state of the Academy. Sure, the perpetrators were forced to do the hardest of the tasks, but they alone would not tidy up the school fast enough. So, all students and faculty readied themselves and started the cleaning process, taking up the majority of the school day to do so.   
  
When that was done, the wrongdoers were gathered at the front of the Academy. The students and faculty involved in the apprehension were around them. Most of them looked very tired and bored, having spent most of their energy cleaning and fighting all day. Others miraculously seemed fine, eagerly awaiting for the delinquents' punishment.   
  
"HA! This will teach ya!" Blackstar taunted, smirking at the troublemakers.  
  
"Yeah, you all are in big trouble once Lord Death comes out!" Spirit boasted with a massive smirk, " _He will reaper chop all of you_!" He finished with a diabolical laugh.   
  
Spirit was immediately silenced by Noel hitting him on the head. He gave the flippant redhead a cold glare, "If I recall correctly,  _Spirit_ , it was  _your_  ineptitude that precipitated this."   
  
Soon enough, Lord Death exited the Academy and stood before everyone. "Ah, good job, everyone, for gathering all of the troublemakers. I shall reward you all when I get the chance." The Grim Reaper remarked in a pleased tone. That addressed, he set his sights on the involved Correctional Class students, "Now…as for you all…"  
  
Many of the delinquents gulped fearfully. Others like Darrel and Jarrett just stood there with closed eyes and crossed arms.   
  
"You all need to understand the consequences of your actions and actually learn from your mistakes, for it will lead you into trouble and probably will get you killed in the process. I mean, why even do this? What was the point of this?” Lord Death questioned, shaking his head.  
  
“Cuz some of us were bored?” Andy answered, raising his hand.  
  
_REAPER CHOP!_  
  
“Try again.” Lord Death replied sternly as Andy’s partner checked his wellbeing. Nobody stepped up the plate and said anything. With a sigh, the Grim Reaper continued, “I know deep down inside all of you are not bad students but are misunderstood and haven't been taught properly. I believe most of you can change your ways and become better students; not only for others but also for yourselves." Lord Death lectured them in a surprisingly lenient manner, holding up a finger as if he were chastising a little child, "Understand?"  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
_REAPER CHOP!_  
  
"Good," Lord Death, putting away his enlarged hand after, with no warning at all and at unimaginable speeds, delivering his famous Reaper Chop to every delinquent in front of him. "Now then. For the remainder of the week, you are to clean designated corridors of the Academy. Noel, please also add five additional disciplinary hours to each student responsible."  
  
"Certainly." Noel responded, watching his students rub their aching heads. Most had wisps of skull-shaped smoke coming from their skulls.   
  
"That is all. You are dismissed." Lord Death watched as the Correctional Class proceeded to walk past him head to their classroom for further scolding by their teacher. When they were gone, the Reaper turned to Noel and told him, “Noel, I’ll have to see you in my room later on today. Some of those kids are unfortunately on grounds of suspension or expulsion.”  
  
“Yes, I know.” Noel sighed. He didn’t show it, but the announcement pained him. He really did want to help everyone in the Correctional Class. They needed guidance. But, as the saying went, you could lead a horse to water, but you couldn’t make it drink.    
  
Sid then approached the headmaster with a piece of paper, “Lord Death. I’ve made a list of names of Correctional Class students that weren’t involved whatsoever.”  
  
“Oh?” Lord Death took the paper and scanned through it, “Hmm. Well, that’s good to know. Sid, please make sure they come to my room as well. I’ll probably reward these ladies and gentlemen.”  
  
Spirit stepped up beside Noel and spoke next, "So what now, my lord? School’s almost over."   
  
Lord Death scratched his head, trying to think of something. "Hmmm. Oh, yes! I know what we can do!" He happily clapped his hands together, "Since all of you did such a good job, how about we have an Ice Cream Social for the rest of the day? Then you can go home!"  
  
“ _All RIGHT_!”

* * *

  
Venice, Italy – a unique blend of water, art, and romance. A city so rich in lavishness, home to a large and diverse array of architecture ranging from Gothicism to Renaissance. Perhaps the most astonishing feature was that this picturesque city was built atop water, combining a unique system of canals and bridges with other marvels such as basilicas.  
  
Like most locations, Venice was especially breathtaking to view at night. The calm, still waters and the plaster reflected the moonlight, making the City of Water seemed almost ethereal. The cool breeze from the lagoon swept across the city as the golden lanterns in the alleys and on the remaining ships glowed, contributing to the romantic environment. In summation, Venice under a cloak of darkness exhibited an extra dose of magic and mystery that was sadly overshadowed by daytime affairs.   
  
Unfortunately, even Venice was not sparred from criminal activity. Skirting across one of the quiet alleys was a young lad, giggling mischievously as his dark violet cape flittered in the breeze. He came to a stop after rounding a corner, checking the canal that the alley overlooked for any sights of people or ships. He smirked when he realized he was alone, dropping his brown, bulging burlap sack to the ground.   
  
"I've gone scot-free!" The lad snickered, pulling down his matching face mask to reveal blonde hair and scarlet irises. He untied the knot in the sack's opening to reveal a plethora of pure human souls. He licked his watering lips hungrily, "Well, I'm alone, so I might as well enjoy a little victory chow!" He said, pulling out a soul.   
  
"Do not think you will escape the DWMA's notice for long, Young Thief Gestas."  
  
Gestas nearly jumped out of his skin when that calm voice addressed him. He put the soul back in his bag, tied it up, and looked around. "Who's there!? Show yourself!" Nothing was around. Gestas gulped nervously, well aware he was no longer alone despite appearances.  
  
"Down here."  
  
Gestas quickly turned around, facing the railing that barricaded the alley's edge from the canal. This time, he actually paid attention to the voice – while it was deeper than most, it still belonged to a woman. Cautiously, he approached it, jumping on the railing so that he could see over it. To his great surprise, there was someone standing on the surface of the water in the canal.   
  
Her long silver hair reflected the moonlight, flowing loosely in the gentle, lagoonal breeze. Her emerald green eyes stared emotionlessly at the young thief, partially obscured by her bangs. In contrast to her pale facial features, her choice of clothing matched the dark ambience around them: a black top with open sides and no sleeves decorated by a triangular ridge pattern, a white sash, black pants and boots, and blue smoke designs near the shirt's hem and down each pant leg. The thing that stood out the most to Gestas was that the lady's left arm was completely wrapped up in lavender scarves.   
  
Gestas sneered, wondering what type of authority this lady think she had to speak so casually to him, "And just who are you, lady?”   
  
“My name is Cancer.” She took a step forward, causing small ripples in the water. Then, the water proceeded to rise at an angle. Gestas watched with shock as the surface water was manipulated to create makeshift stairs, the woman walking up them as if they were solid.   
  
"H-How the…" the young lad said in wonder. Then, it dawned onto him. Cancer lacked a Demon Weapon or item capable of elemental manipulation. So, there was only one possible answer left. "You're… you're a witch!"  
  
Cancer reached the top of her stairs of water, prompting Gestas to jump back from the railing. "Brilliant observation." She said emptily as she placed a hand on the railing and jumped over it.   
  
"What do you want with me?" Gestas demanded, narrowing his eyes at her. Suddenly, he heard mechanical whirring followed by a loud stomp. The thief's scarlet eyes widened to a tremendous degree, shakily looking to the side to see a substantially sized leg planted beside him. Slowly and fearfully, the lad turned around and saw a small glowing red eye leering down at him, belonging to a large entity hidden by the darkness. Gestas momentarily lost his breath as his throat suddenly became dry. His hands and legs shook restlessly. The creature’s more imposing wavelength suffocated him as he fell to his knees.   
  
"First, I want you to give Project Omega those souls you have." Cancer ordered.   
  
Terror rocking him to the very core, Gestas threw the burlap sack at the creature in front of him. Immediately, it lashed out a chainsaw-like whip of the same red color as its eye, snatching the bag of souls and bringing it to the shadows.   
  
"Second, I have a favor to ask of you." The silver-haired woman stated, walking over to the scared thief and kneeling down behind him, grasping his shoulders. Gestas could nothing but let everything happen. Whatever the creature was before him, it radiated a sense of danger like none he had seen. Then there was the fact it was under this lady's command. He swallowed dryly, and the witch took that as a sign to give out her one simple order.  
  
"Lure the DWMA here."

* * *

  
_Month 1, Week 2, Day 2 (Tuesday, January 9th)_  
  
_Mission Location: Venice, Italy  
Mission Description: A young thief by the name of Gestas has recently been causing problems in Venice. Capture the Evil Human and claim his soul upon sight.   
Mission Difficulty: C Rank  
Special Notes: Because of Venice's unique layout, the thief will take advantage of the alleys and canals. Student(s) with Soul Perception and good athleticism are encouraged to go.  
Status: Vacant_  
  
"Ooh! Ooh! This one's perfect for us, Caius!" Claudia announced, jumping up and down excitedly as she pointed at the mission.   
  
Caius walked over and examined the mission specifications. "A simple soul thief in Venice. Yeah, that's good." He smiled. The handbook stated that students were allowed to skip classes provided that they were on an official mission, meaning absences or tardiness would be excused. Claudia and Caius didn’t feel like going to class and planned on taking advantage of that rule.   
  
"You seem very eager to go on missions nowadays, Caius," Claudia pointed out, looking at him. Her meister looked at her quizzically, blinking twice. "For as long as I've known you, you've been pretty much all business when it came to missions," she smiled warmly at him, hugging him around his waist, "Not that I mind. It's nice to see you happy."  
  
Caius smiled sheepishly and rubbed Claudia’s hand. “If you say so.”   
  
"Why are you two so touchy-feely today?"  
  
Caius and Claudia looked to see Maka and Soul walking up to them. The Demon Lance broke her hug and told them, "Oh, nothing! We just found a mission, and we're about to go!"  
  
"Really?" Maka beamed, "Does it allow teammates?"  
  
“It does.” Caius replied as he removed the mission from the bulletin board.  
  
A shark grin appeared on Soul’s face. “Cool. Can we come?”  
  
Claudia sprung forth and latched herself onto Soul. "Of course! I don't mind mon amour going~" Soul sighed in discontent as Maka glared at the clingy blond girl. She then removed herself, “But, we must get going! Time is money!”  
  
She was right. When it was daytime in Nevada, it was more than likely dusk or nighttime in parts of the Eastern Hemisphere. After checking out with the reception, the team headed out and boarded the private Moncharmin jet. The jet was capable of moving fast enough to reduce flight times gauged by normal planes due to the usual urgency of DWMA missions. Thus, the team went from Death City to Venice, Italy in roughly eight hours.   
  
The City of Water, at this time, was in the middle of nighttime. All activity had ceased, all establishments were closed, and all people were asleep. However, Venice was still lit up by the moon and the lanterns located throughout it. It was perfect for hunting an Evil Human since pedestrians would not get in the way, but, conversely, said Evil Human would have the element of surprise as well as the darkness to play with.  
  
Gestas crawled onto the top of a building, hauling his currently empty burlap sack and holding a single soul in one of his hands. Unlike his last heist, he was significantly less excited. In fact, he hated his life right now. "So, basically, if I don't comply with that witch, I'm dead. If I do and draw in the DWMA, I'm still dead." Gestas sighed lamentably, looking at the human soul and plopping it into his mouth. After he swallowed silently, he sighed, "Well, I'm a thief. I should be able to escape. I know this place better than they do."  
  
"You! Young Thief Gestas!"  
  
Gestas's face went blank with unhappiness as he looked over his shoulder to see Maka and Caius on the other side of the building, wielding their respective weapons.   
  
"Give up now and make this easy on yourself." Caius demanded.   
  
"In the name of Lord Death, your soul is ours!" Maka yelled, gripping her scythe.   
  
Now that they were here, it was time to bait them to the location Cancer desired. It was a good thing he had something for these child soldiers. Tonight was his last stand, and he wanted to go out with a bang. Gestas snorted insolently, "Here's what I have to say to Lord Death and his DWMA!" He turned around and bent over, pulling down his pants to moon the two meisters.  
  
Safe to say, they did not take that gesture well.   
  
Claudia screamed, covering her eyes and turning away. Caius frowned and shook his head. Soul's left eye twitched, muttering a "Dude. Not Cool." And Maka turned away, holding up a hand to block the sight, having no intentions of seeing Gestas's display of contempt.   
  
Gestas laughed immaturely, pulling up his pants and proceeding to sprint away, "Catch me if you can, you losers!"  
  
Caius got over the initial shock and pursued the young thief, "Get back here, you little punk!"  
  
"That was so gross! I can't wait to take his soul!" Maka snarled, following him. 

“Speak to my secretary first! The log trap!” Gestas shouted as he jumped over the ledge of the building. Caius blinked in confusion as he too jumped. Then, he heard a whoosh of wind and looked to the side to a log pendulum heading his way. His eyes dilated in shock; he got caught in a trap. The log pounded into Caius, sending him to the ground with a loud thud.   
  
“What the-?!” Maka exclaimed as she landed inside the lane.   
  
“You’re up next, No-Cups!” Gestas shouted from the mouth of the alleyway.   
  
Maka whipped to his direction, “‘No-Cups’? What are you-” She paid no attention to the vent beneath her. It roared to life as it sent a blast of air upward. It didn’t carry her off the ground, but it caused her skirt to fly up.   
  
Claudia caught the sight of that as Caius gathered his bearings, “Oh my goodness, Maka, I didn’t know you wore pink panties. That’s actually kinda cute.”  
  
Maka slapped her hand against her skirt to keep it down, “ _Don’t look_!” She heard Gestas laugh and saw him sprinting away. The Scythe Meister growled like a lioness as she immediately chased after him. Caius shook his head to get rid of some lingering dizziness and followed her.  
  
Gestas ran as fast as he could down the street. This was his game, give them both a healthy dose of pain and humiliation using the various traps he had installed throughout Venice. Maybe they would die, maybe not. All he cared about was having fun. He rounded a corner and ran parallel to another canal. "You'll never take me alive, child soldiers!"  
  
“Oh, yes, we will!” Caius shouted back, “Just wait until we get our hands on you!”  
  
“Tell it to the judge!” Gestas showed them his middle finger with his back turned, “Bear trap!”  
  
Beneath Maka and Caius, two sections of the ground split apart and pushed outward. Before they knew it, they were thrown in opposite directions. Caius was sent straight into an open dumpster full of trash while Maka was propelled over the railing and into the canal with a loud splash.   
  
“Tell me when you’re ready to give up!” Gestas taunted as he stopped at the top of a staircase.   
  
A couple of seconds passed before Caius crawled out of the dumpster and Maka climbed up the canal. The Scythe Meister was soaking wet, her bangs covering her eyes. Her coat felt five pounds heavier as the end dragged itself on the concrete. The Lance Meister had flies buzzing around him, and his coat had splotches of grime.  
  
“I hate that kid.” Maka said in a hushed tone.  
  
“He has a seriously jacked-up notion of playtime, and it’s beginning to piss me off.” Caius said sharply, glancing as Gestas in distance, who waved at him mockingly.   
  
As much as she didn’t want to, Maka could smell the repugnant stench coming off Caius. One whiff, and her whole face contorted in disgust. Reaching into her coat, she pulled out some perfume and pointed it at his direction. “I’m sorry, but can I…?”  
  
“ _Make it quick_.” Caius demanded calmly, face red with embarrassment as he gritted his teeth.   
  
Soon, the Meisters were back in action, resuming their hot pursuit of the Evil Human. The young thief scanned his surroundings to make sure he was going in the right direction.  _"Okay. She said to lure them to Piazza San Marco. Hopefully, I don't die!"_  
  
Seeing as they were getting nowhere simply tailing the thief, Caius decided to take an alternate route. "I'm going high!" He announced, spotting a nearby fire escape.  
  
Understanding his idea, Maka decided to emulate it. "I'll go around and try and cut him off!" She immediately turned around and headed back to an alleyway she just passed.  
  
The Lance Meister quickly scaled up the fire escape, reaching the building's rooftop and sprinting down it. He kept an eye on Gestas as he continued running, jumping from rooftop to rooftop or using his lance and nearby telephone pole wires as makeshift zip-lines.   
  
Gestas checked to make sure they were still following him. To his shock, he did not see them. "What the-?!" The young thief skidded to a halt, looking around frantically, "Where'd they go?!"  
  
"Looking for me?"  
  
Gestas quickly looked up to see Caius jumping off the roof of the building nearest to him, holding the lance with both hands in a stabbing position. The young thief shrieked in fear, quickly leaping away to avoid Caius's attack, causing him to wedge the blade of the lance into the concrete ground. Gestas gritted his teeth as he rolled into a kneeling position. “Net trap!”  
  
When Caius pulled the lance out, he was suddenly caught in a net. “Oh, come on!” He yelled, squirming as it enclosed around him.   
  
“Bye-bye~” Gestas waved as the net threw Caius into a nearby house, breaking the door. The Evil Human mouthed ‘Three, two, one,’ counting off with his fingers, and laughed uproariously when he heard a loud shriek, an echoic slap, and Caius scream  _‘OW!’_  
  
“Alright, now where’s that Plain Jane girl?” On cue, he heard a rapid patter of footfalls that made his scarlet eyes shrink. "Uh-oh." He muttered, his voice nothing more than a squeak, as he turned around just in time to see Maka leaping at him with her scythe ready in hands.   
  
As she fell, Maka swung the scythe in a downward arc, twisting her body as she landed so that the blade could complete its cutting motion. Gestas did not even have time to scream as his small body was bifurcated. Darkness swallowed his being, unraveling until nothing but an Evil Soul was left in his wake.    
  
“Here I am.” Maka said as she hitched the scythe on her shoulder.  
  
The blade glowed blue as Soul crawled out of it, opening his mouth and taking the Evil Soul into his mouth. “The sweet taste of victory.” He heard footsteps and looked up to see Caius with a large, bright red handprint across his face. Soul’s eyes bulged out as Maka’s jaw dropped. “Dude. What happened—”  
  
“Don’t. Ask.” Caius demanded, mortified beyond belief.   
  
“Don’t worry, Caius, if it helps, she wasn’t even that attractive.” Claudia consoled as she returned to her human form.  
  
Maka sighed, feeling a large weight being lifted from her shoulders, “Well, that’s finally over and done with.” She walked over to the nearest bench and plopped down on it. Caius did the same thing, sitting by her. This mission was much more stressful than it needed to be. The two Meisters needed to wind down for a little bit before they left.   
  
But their mission was far from over. Cancer stood on top of a building, watching them.  _“Not the rendezvous I requested, but I suppose this is close enough.”_  She narrowed her eyes and got a closer look at the Academy students.  _“Hold on a second.. Maka Albarn and that Vladingham I had to spare.”_  When Cancer wanted the DWMA to be lured to Venice, it didn’t matter who they sent. She just needed some test subjects. This, however, changed things. She held up her hand as she thought,  _“I will take care of them now. Then, I will unleash Project Omega on their Weapons.”_  
  
A crown of needles hovered above Maka’s and Caius’s head, pointing towards them. It was a good thing Soul was already looking in their direction and saw them because the needles didn’t waste any time falling down. “ _Guys, watch out_!!” Soul raced over and dove for the two meisters, knocking them over the top of the bench as the needles skewered the bench to pieces.   
  
Cancer gritted her teeth. Her attempt at a quick kill was foiled. “Missed.”  
  
“W-what was that?” Maka groaned as she adjusted herself into a sitting position, rubbing the back of her head.  
  
Caius put his glasses back on and noticed the needles stabbed into the ground. A silent gasp escaped him as parts of his body throbbed. He remembered those same needles pinning him against a house two years ago. Gritting his teeth, Caius looked over his shoulder and saw something very familiar: silver hair flowing in the breeze. There was only one person he knew in his life that met that description.   
  
“ _Cancer_!!!” Caius bellowed, roughly pushing away both Maka and Soul as he shot up to his feet.   
  
“What the hell!?” The two exclaimed, falling on their backs.   
  
Fueled by rage and vengefulness Caius scaled up the side of a building, using ledges and crevices for support, until he reached the rooftop. From then on, he hopped from rooftop-to-rooftop again, closing in on the fleeing figure. Caius never looked back, he never waited for his partner or his teammates. This was too important to pass up. He wound up stopping at the corner of the building nearest to the church of St. Mark. Even though a bit of distance was between them, he could clearly see Cancer standing on the spire of the church closest to his location. Caius clenched his fists as a swirl of negative emotions filled his entire being.   
  
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Cancer spoke tonelessly but loud enough for the male meister to hear, cradling her scarf-covered arm.   
  
"Cancer Lucrenian." Caius breathed out as the lagoonal breeze swept by, causing his battle coat to billow.  
  
"You remember me, I see," Cancer stated, staring the lance technician straight in his eyes. She raised an eyebrow, seeing the hatred building up in his eyes. His normally dark white irises and pure white sclera were replaced by blue translucent flames in flux. "That is quite the look you are giving me. Are you really that same scared kid that was lucky enough to be spared in the first place?" She said further, her emerald eyes gleaming under the shadows of her bangs.   
  
He ignored her taunt. "It’s the look of someone ready to burn you to cinders. You've been gone for two long years. Now, here you are in the middle of my mission all of a sudden. And after what you've done.” The witch remained mute as Caius narrowed his eyes, the blue flames in them gleaming, "Why's that? What are you planning? And why did you kill my family and the rest of the Vladinghams?!"   
  
Cancer did not respond, slowly closing her eyes. She proceeded to leap off the spire, using the various structural characteristics of the church of St. Mark to ease her descent, bounding and sliding off them until she landed on the plaza's concrete ground.   
  
"Hey! I'm not done talking to you!" Caius shouted after she moved, subsequently jumping off the corner and falling toward a nearby lantern post. He slid down it, holding on, to decease the speed of his fall until he too landed on the ground.   
  
"Do not worry. I am far from finished as well." Cancer reassured, stopping when she reached the very middle of Piazza San Marco. Caius pursued her until he was a few feet away from her. "Vladingham, I have a favor to ask of you."   
  
"My name is Caius, you witch. And I know better than to do what you say," Caius retorted spitefully. He held up his hands as his soul wavelength crackled in them, sparking until they ignited and engulfed in his hands and wrists in blue wavelength flames. "Especially  _you_."  
  
"Here it is anyway.” Cancer replied, raising her arm out to the side.  
  
Caius assumed a battle stance, ready to take on whatever she was getting ready to conjure. At that moment, he noticed there was a significantly large puddle behind her. The piazza was not near a canal, so it was strange seeing that here. The large puddle began to rise, making bubbling noises as Cancer willed the water. It expanded until Cancer shaped it into a large domical mass of water. The inside was considerably foggier and darker than normal water. "I have this… experiment I want you to test." The silver-haired witch insisted, snapping her fingers.   
  
The dome collapsed, freeing whatever was inside it. The creature was both organic and mechanical, possessing a dark ecru, smooth body ending in a large, wide, segmented tail and supporting itself with a pair of robotic, chesspiece-like arms. The most notable feature on this monster was the glowing red, narrow eye staring imposingly at its next prey.   
  
The glare alone was enough to send a horrible chill down Caius's spine. It was too familiar. However, against his better nature, Caius decided to use Soul Perception to gauge the entity's strength. The fire inside his eyes immediately disappeared as they shrunk massively. The monster's soul was a blood red color, exerting a soul wavelength capable of placing extreme dread into the Lance Meister.  
  
Caius was simply just unable to form audible words as his mouth quivered and his body trembled. He looked down to his right hand to see that the wavelength flames were faltering around his shaking hand, symbolizing the terror gripping him.  _"I…I can't stop shaking…"_  He thought, lifting his head to look at the monster behind Cancer. It reminded him of that titanic black creature that appeared on that fateful day. “I-It can’t be…”  
  
"It is. Now please work out the bugs if you can," Cancer said as she walked forward, passing the unnerved Caius and leaving nothing between him and the experimental monster anymore. She then stopped, not even a feet between her back and his, forgetting one more important detail.  
  
"Or let it kill you so that I can have your soul." Cancer said coldly, her eyes giving off a faint glow, and then continuing her saunter, "Your choice."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to thank my readers for patiently enduring six slow chapters. With this chapter, the main villain has been introduced, meaning we can finally really get this story going.
> 
> EDIT (3/10/15): Soul Eater: Saeculum (Chapter 3) should provide some context the conversation between Caius and Cancer.


	8. Breakthrough: The Shattered Shell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maka, Soul, Caius, and Claudia are forced to come to terms or else suffer the wrath of an experimental monster. End of Introduction Arc and beginning of Joint Resonance Training Arc.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.

**Breakthrough: The Shattered Shell**  
  
“Just what the heck‘s gotten into that man?!” Maka shouted as she sprinted down the street, heading in the direction Caius blazed off. She carried Soul in his scythe form while Claudia rode piggyback. She had her Soul Perception activated and was locked on to Caius’s soul.   
  
“I don’t know, but that was crazy the way he acted.” Soul remarked, his reflection appearing on his own blade. “I think he said ‘Cancer’ before he went off like a bat out of Hell.”  
  
Claudia held onto Maka tight. One second Caius acted like normal; the next, he showed much more emotion than he ever had. She remembered her conversation with him back in Ireland, that the reason he was this way was private. She may not had confirmation, but it seemed she was finally going to get her answer.   
  
Back at the Piazza San Marco, Caius struggled against Project Omega. No matter what technique or tactic he employed, the creature brushed it off as if it was nothing more than a mere nuisance. It was almost like the entity was toying with him, allowing Caius to attack only to endure the blow and show how hopeless his situation was.   
  
Caius released a battle cry as he charged at the monster, blue wavelength flames engulfing his fist. However, with surprisingly fast reflexes, the experiment managed to swing its body and whack him away with its wide tail. Caius spiraled in the air as he was knocked back, landing on his back upon the concrete. He coughed, trying to regain lost oxygen. His glasses fell off, but he was quick to reclaim them so that he could keep his sight.  
  
Project Omega sauntered toward the human with slow, hard stomps, prompting Caius to his feet. The meister's breathing was labored, feeling his energy getting lower and lower with each blow. He had always pegged himself as a decent weaponless combatant, but, right now, this monster made it seem as if he had no combat skills whatsoever. He was getting beaten that badly.   
  
Caius forced the wavelength flames to reappear on his right arm as the monster came closer. "Well, I got one more move left, you abomination." He growled, sprinting for Project Omega and leaping toward it. He geared back his flaming fist with the intention of driving it straight into the creature's eye. "Regnum Dei!" The monster raised its hefty right leg, blocking Caius's punch. Undaunted, the meister proceeded to propel his soul wavelength into it. The attack commenced, engulfing Project Omega in an inferno of flames.   
  
The explosion propelled Caius away from where it was. "That had to do something," He mumbled, skidding across the ground until he came to a stop and knelt down, "Outside of Deus Iratus, that's my best move." He panted, placing a hand on the ground to keep his balance as he watched the smoke. He certainly hoped that did at least some damage.   
  
However, even that was futile.  
  
Mechanical whirring was heard inside the fire as the monster took a giant step, slamming its leg onto the concrete with enough force to actually create some cracks. Caius stopped breathing when he saw that, the extreme dread from before returning full circle. Another hard stomp occurred as the monster dragged itself out of the flames, glaring at the human meister. Like everything else, Regnum Dei did not warrant even a scratch on the being's body. In fact, judging from the strength of its steps and the intensity with which its eye glowed, the attempt made it angry. Project Omega looked like a demon stepping out of the fires out of Hell itself.    
  
From the space underneath its eye, a blood red chainsaw-like whip shot out toward Caius. He tried to react fast enough to avoid it, but the blood red whip was faster, curling around his body and constricting him tautly. "L-Let me…go!" Caius cried out in agony as the monster lifted him off the ground, applying pressure and exacerbating the pain he already felt.   
  
Closeby, Cancer watched the entire battle unfold, sitting on the ledge of a building with her legs crossed. Her expression never changed as she witnessed her experiment manhandle Caius. "So, he chooses to die." Cancer muttered contemplatively, closing her eyes, "Well, at least this means I will have finished what I began two years ago. He will become yet another necessary sacrifice just like the rest of those accursed Vladinghams."  
  
" _Caius_!"  
  
"Hm?" Cancer reopened her eyes and checked the plaza, seeing Maka and Claudia heading for Caius and her creation. "Took them long enough."  
  
" _Put him down_!!!" Maka shouted angrily, rushing toward the monster as her green eyes glared daggers at it. How dare this abomination brutalize her comrade. It was going to pay big time.   
  
Project Omega’s eye narrowed slightly at her, 'Don't mind if I do,' it thought. It mercilessly flung Caius to the side with as much ease as throwing a baseball. The Lance Meister was thrown into a piazza bench with enough force to completely break it. Then, the creation lashed out the blood red whip at Maka as she charged. The Scythe Meister leapt over it, proceeding to swing her weapon. Small sparks flew as Soul's cutting edge contacted with the monster's hide. When her feet hit the ground, she quickly delivered several more strikes, each of them landing successfully.   
  
However, the entity wasn’t fazed. If it could, it would laugh at the girl's pathetic attempts to injure it. It was no better than Caius's. Maka yelled with exertion as she jumped up and swung the scythe in a downward arc, going for the monster's eye. Deciding it was done letting the Scythe Meister have her moment of pride, Project Omega reacted astonishingly quick to her attack, lifting up one of its legs and swatting her away.   
  
Maka cried out in pain as her spine rebounded off the concrete, her weapon slipping out of her hold as she landed on her stomach. "Maka!" Soul exclaimed, concerned for the well-being of his meister. He knew something was off. Every time he felt his blade touch the monster, there was too much resistance to cause any damage.   
  
"I'm okay." Maka reassured, shaking her head to alleviate any dizziness. "C'mon, we still got work to do!" She bellowed, sprinting to her feet as she scooped up the scythe and charged at the monster.   
  
Meanwhile, Claudia was helping out her meister, pulling him away from the destroyed remains of the piazza bench. "Caius! Caius! Please tell me you're alright!" The Demon Lance asked worriedly, grasping his hand with both of hers. She felt devastated to see Caius this way – ever since she agreed to be his weapon, Caius was always in-control during a mission or battle.   
  
"I-I will be." Caius coughed, forcing himself to his feet and gently taking his hand away from Claudia's. Despite his condition, he needed to eliminate that monster. It was a product of Cancer's labors, and that was good reason enough to keep going. "We gotta…take care of that thing first. No matter what…" He said tiredly but resolutely, beginning to walk back over to the battle.   
  
Claudia quickly stepped in front of him, stopping him from advancing any more. She looked up to him with a very serious and stern expression, her teal eyes practically boring into his dark white ones. "Caius Vladingham. You are in no condition to fight that monster." She declared firmly.   
  
Caius balked a little, for he never knew expected spoiled little Claudia to be so assertive. But before he could say anything else, the two suddenly heard Maka screamed with great anguish. They looked to see the monster coiling its chainsaw-like whip around her and slamming her on the ground excessively hard repeatedly.  
  
" _Maka_!" Claudia cried out in horror. Caius's countenance showed intense dismay, including an agape mouth and dilated eyes. He felt responsible for something made by Cancer, and now someone was being assaulted as badly as, if not worse than, himself.  
  
 _"…. live with the possibility that everyone they know and love might die should they get in my way…"_  
  
Caius gritted his teeth. That was something he wasn’t going to allow. He grabbed Claudia’s arm. “C’mon!” The girl transformed into a lance in his hand. He quickly dashed over and swung the lance at the whip before the monster could send Maka into the ground again. "Put her down!"  He shouted assertively, adding enough pressure so that whip could not move anymore.   
  
Project Omega released its hold on Maka, letting her fall to the ground, and redirected its attention to Caius. It retracted the whip, ending the clash, and swung its leg at him. This time, the blunette reacted fast enough to avoid it. He looked over his shoulder and asked Maka, "Can you still fight?"   
  
Maka panted, using the end of her battle cloak to wipe off some of the blood streaming down her face. "Of course I can." She replied obstinately. Then she saw the entity's eye glowing brighter than usual, aiming directly at Caius. Her eyes widened in shock as she screamed, "LOOK OUT!"   
  
Caius urgently looked forward again, seeing the monster unleash a blood red beam of compressed wavelength energy from its eye. Caius's eyes dilated as the beam struck, blasting him with enough force to send him into Maka, the two meisters skidding across the ground for a considerable distance. When they stopped, the two Weapons immediately turned into human forms to check up on them.  
  
Cancer sighed, almost boredly, as she rested her chin on her knuckles while the elbow was propped up on her leg. "It seems my experiment became aware of their weakness. It is doing nothing but toying with them." She stated observantly, watching as Project Omega advanced for his opponent with loud thuds, “I did not expect this form to be so strong.”  
  
"I-It's coming." Claudia whimpered, grasping Caius's arm for comfort.  
  
Soul gritted his sharp teeth, "Damn." He looked at Maka and the others and stated, "We gotta get out of here. That thing's way too powerful, and we're too beat up."  
  
"You can go ahead and leave. This city will be ruins in a matter of minutes afterwards."  
  
Maka, Soul, Caius, and Claudia all looked forward to see water amassing beside the experiment, who had ceased walking upon hearing the voice. The water dispersed, revealing Cancer staring at the battered group of heroes, her demeanor remaining impassive. Caius immediately stood up and growled vehemently, "You're still here?! Why you-!"   
  
Maka also stood up, glaring at the woman, "It's a witch. Now I understand why this thing is here. _You_ sent it!"   
  
"And what was that about this place being in ruins?" Soul questioned, narrowing his crimson eyes at the witch, "What are you planning?"  
  
Cancer moved some of her silver bangs out of her eyes, her gaze never leaving the young DWMA students, "To answer your second question, I have no intention of telling you that. As for your first one, I simply said, if you turn and run, I will order my experiment to lay waste to Venice and have it collect the souls of the fallen after its destruction." Her emerald eyes gleamed slightly when horror struck the teenagers' faces, "So what will it be, DWMA? Run and allow my creation to wreak havoc because of your ineptitude, forever leaving an indelible stigma on the DWMA's résumé? Or stay and suffer an agonizingly slow and painful defeat and subsequent death?"   
  
Cancer held up her hand toward them, the palm facing upward, and stated without remorse, "Either way, the results of your actions will be unpleasant."  
  
Caius’s blood boiled, shooting Caner yet another glare full of fire, “You just _love_ wrecking lives, don’t you?”   
  
“I will do whatever is necessary to ensure the new world is created.” Cancer replied, clenching her fist tightly, full of resolve, “And you godforsaken Vladinghams deserved every bit of my wrath two years ago.”  
  
Several nerves snapped in Caius’s body. Cancer herself already made him mad. Now, she insulted the Vladingham Family. He gnashed his teeth together, so hard that a thin line of red blood came out. A maelstrom of flames brewed in his eyes as he glared murderously at Cancer.   
  
He lost all control.  
  
“ _CANCER_!” He charged with reckless abandon, sights set on Cancer and Cancer only. His whole arm burst into fire as he geared back his fist. He wanted nothing more to cave her face in. Not even halfway there, Project Omega released another blast, this one dramatically reduced in power, and sent him flying back again.   
  
"Caius!" Maka shouted as she hurried over to his side after he fell on his back, followed by Soul and Claudia.   
  
Cancer shook her head at his pitiful attempt at an attack. _“Only the strong can pursue revenge. Those who are not are fooling themselves.”_ She decided it was time to go away and observe the battle from afar again. Water began to swirl around her again as she muttered, "It appears as if quite the tragedy will occur underneath Venice's night sky, and no one but ourselves will bear witness to it." The water engulfed her, disappearing with her. Project Omega raised one leg and stomped, showing that the time for conversation was over, and that the battle was going to resume one way or another.   
  
"Soul, it looks like we have no choice but to fight." Maka asserted sternly, standing up at the same time as Soul.   
  
“Unfortunately, Maka.” Soul responded. So, they were faced with something capable of destroying all of them without trouble. This was worse than when they first met Crona and Ragnarok. He looked over at Caius. With the help of Claudia, he was beginning to calm down. “Okay, Caius, think you can tell us something? Since you apparently know more than us?”  
  
"I’ve got nothing to say, so don't worry about it." Caius responded dismissively, taking a deep breath as he and Claudia stood up.  
  
Soul’s brow creased, "Don't worry about it? You just lost your damn mind for a second and almost got killed for it!”  
  
"I said don't worry about it! Can we focus on the matter at hand?!" Caius ordered. Project Omega watched them, not making another move. Either it wanted them to strike first, or it was deriving a sense of satisfaction from their broken morale.   
  
_“That is IT!”_ Maka thought, brushing past Soul. She tried to be nice and patient, but now she was tired of Caius’s rollercoaster of behaviors. In Madrid, he was cooperative but aloof. Other times, he was a decent guy. Now, he was mean and unpredictable. Today was the final straw. Maka grabbed Caius by the lapel of his coat and forced him to look at her. Before he could say anything, Maka reared back her fist and punched him dead in his face. " _What is your problem_?!"   
  
Claudia gasped as Soul raised an eyebrow. Caius fell on his posterior as he felt the dull pain course through his jaw. Maka hit _hard_. The Scythe Meister looked down on him, standing with conviction, “This has gone on long enough, Caius! You’re obviously hiding something, and this isn’t the time to be like this! You've been acting so strange since I met you. I want an explanation!"  
  
Caius's throat went dry as looked down, beads of sweat rolling down his face. To think his past would catch up to him like this. He had two options. One would be to tell the truth and risk whatever may come in the future. The other would be to refuse to speak like he had been doing and chance permanent damage to his relationship with Claudia, Maka, and Soul. He honestly wanted to pick neither, but, unfortunately, the situation did not allow that. He peeked through his bangs and saw the monster gazing at him, and its eye flashed briefly when their eyes met. Without a doubt, it was conveying the message 'pick wisely; it might be the last thing you will do.'  
  
Caius exhaled deeply, closing his eyes. "That witch, Cancer, she killed off my entire family. During then, I heard her say she'll use the Vladingham Family as an example; that people, including me, should 'live with the possibility that everyone they know and love might die should they get in her way'…so… ever since I've pushed people away and made sure no one could get close to me… not my sake, but for theirs…I was afraid. I didn't want to see anyone else die like that. I guess... I guess I just became complacent after a while and embraced the loneliness."  
  
Maka and Soul stayed silent as Claudia tenderly asked, "You mean, all this time, you were distant because of that witch?"  
  
Caius nodded slowly, "Now you know." His eyes shot open when loud mechanical creaking was heard. He looked ahead and saw that Project Omega was moving toward them, its eye flashing a bright crimson. Apparently, now that they had spoken their 'final words,' it was time to put an end to them.   
  
"Is that all, Caius?" Soul questioned casually, stepping forward. Caius looked at him quizzically. The Demon Scythe was speaking in a way that almost trivialized his situation. "Listen, Caius, we're tough people. Just because someone tells you they're gonna make life hell, doesn't mean you gotta do it for them. When it comes to us, or _anyone_ in the DWMA for that matter, you've got nothing to worry about."  
  
Maka came forward, standing beside Soul, as she fearlessly stared down the monster as it charged up another beam attack. "It doesn't matter who we come across, friends always stick together. When you are hurt, we are hurt. When you cry, we cry. When you're suffering, we're suffering! That is the foundation of the DWMA – we work together even in times of crisis! One person's fight is _everyone's_ fight!"  
  
"If she wants to threaten us all, then we'll take her on together because we're friends. So what do you say? Let's face this together…" Claudia said, tenderly grasping Caius's hand. He looked down at her, and she gave him a bright smile, blushing lightly, "Partner."  
  
Astonished he was, Caius nevertheless felt an immense weight being lifted off of him. For the first time, he told someone why he did not care about other people; what happened to him. Maka, Soul, and Claudia listened to him, understood the situation, and reassured him about what may come in the future. They did not care about whatever Cancer had in store for them in the future. They did not know him well enough, yet they still considered him an ally. Was this camaraderie? Was this simply how they treated all their friends?  Was everyone like this? He had long forgotten the answers to such questions due to being deprived of interaction since Cancer killed his family.   
  
Well, now was the time to start over and put the pieces of his broken life back together. He was going to chance it. He was going to put his faith in Maka, Claudia, Soul, and whoever else decided to befriend him hereafter. For better or worse. And he was still going to fight like always.   
  
"Let's do it." He announced decisively, gripping Claudia's hand tightly but acceptingly. She immediately transformed into her lance form, and he twirled it a few times. Maka and Soul smirked as the latter changed into a scythe and the former subsequently grabbed it.   
  
Finally, the monster unleashed its beam of compressed wavelength. With renewed vigor, the two meisters jumped to the side as the blast hit the ground, the explosion propelling them further away as they skidded across the ground. Dust and rubble flew from the sizeable crater left.   
  
Maka straightened up and made a move to rush Project Omega. However, her muscles tightened as pain coursed through her body. She stumbled with a strident gasp, quickly stabbing the pole of Soul's scythe form into the ground as a makeshift crutch to keep her balance. "M-My body's too weak." She groaned. She looked over to see Caius having trouble as well as the monster cycled glances between them, trying to anticipate their next course of action. "Perfect," she hissed, "We solve one problem, and we're faced with another."  
  
"Out of the firing pan and into the fire, huh?" Soul said, his reflection appearing on the blade. Then, he got an idea. "Well, we got one choice and one choice only." Maka looked at him, awaiting his suggestion. Soul looked at his meister seriously and said, "We gotta do Joint Resonance with Caius and Claudia."  
  
Maka's green eyes dilated at the Demon Scythe's idea, "Joint Resonance?! But nobody in class could do it! Not even us!"  
  
"Like I said, it's all we got," Soul rationalized, "Sure, you two can still stand. But, you and Caius can't fight for much longer with these injuries."  
  
Maka exhaled, watching as the monster lashed out its whip again at Caius who parried it with some difficulty. Soul made sense. Joint Resonance was the most powerful thing in their arsenal right now that could answer this menace. "Okay." She conceded and then shouted, "Caius! Come over here! We got a plan!"  
  
"Don't have to tell me twice!" Caius replied distressfully, rolling to avoid a stomp of the creature's massive leg and standing up in the space between its leg and body. He quickly ran away before it did anything else, heading over to Maka. "Alright, so what's the plan?" He asked, keeping his eyes on the monster as it turned and faced them.   
  
"Joint Resonance." Maka responded, narrowing her eyes at Project Omega as it charged up yet another beam, "It's our only option."  
  
"I agree." Caius replied, nodding in agreement. If Joint Resonance was as collaborative as Professor Stein and Mr. Ricardsen said it was, then it should work since he was now open to people once again. Additionally, like with the Gemini and their Chain Resonance attempt, their lives were in grave danger. The obvious hazard should give them enough motivation to make this work. Caius spun the lance several times, using one wrist as the center of its rotation. "Maka, Soul, you two ready?"   
  
Maka smirked, noticing that Caius finally dropped the 'miss' and 'master' from in front of their names. Now that she knew what was ailing Caius all along, she realized the formality was meant put himself and other people on a strictly professional level. A wedge that symbolized his unwillingness to be friendly. At least that was no more too. "We're ready."   
  
Maka, Soul, Caius, and Claudia all closed their eyes, concentrating calmly on their task. Exerting their soul wavelengths, the air around them started to swirl lightly, causing dust to fly and their coats to billow. Maka manifested her soul, being orange in color and sporting her signature pigtails. Caius followed up, having a purplish-blue soul that featured a pair of glasses.   
  
Project Omega balked a little, taking a step back as it saw the actions take place and feeling the gusts blow past it. Not even a minute ago, their wavelengths were small and insignificant. Now, as a whole, their soul wavelengths escalated at an exponential rate.  
  
" _Let's go_! _Joint Resonance_!"  
  
Strands of soul energy exited from the soul barriers surrounding the meisters. Steadily, the strings gravitated toward one another, fluttering against each other and testing whether they were suitable enough to forge a connection. All the while, every participant kept concentrating, knowing the slightest mistake would ultimately foil the attempt. They kept their minds clear and their hearts open, letting their souls pour every fiber of their being into the resonation. Soon enough, each and every stream of soul energy united. That part done, the soul barriers slowly expanded, trying to merge together and become one.  
  
The experimental entity took several loud steps back, sensing the power of their soul wavelengths reaching the point where they matched its own. The gleam in its crimson eye wavered constantly, having a hard time maintaining its beam attack. From her faraway position, Cancer watched Project Omega falter under the pressure of the teams' Joint Resonance attempt. _"It is malfunctioning. Once it felt compromised and threatened, all of its functions ceased to act correctly."_ Cancer thought, glancing at Maka and Caius, _"Is it because of what they are doing now? Is it simply incapable of that kind of reasoning?”_ She wondered, trying to come up with possible answers as to why her monster exhibited such odd behavior now.   
  
Maka's and Caius's souls began to intersect as the expansion continued, the colors blending together and shifting into the standard light blue hue as a representation of their upcoming unity. As their wavelengths' fusion inched closer to completion, the two meisters and weapons could sense their feelings.    
  
 _"Trust and renewal…"_ Maka and Soul thought, feeling mystified.   
  
_"Faith and courage…"_ Caius and Claudia thought in awe.   
  
A massive amount of blue and white light emanated from the meisters and their souls finally united. Their hearts, minds, and soul as one; their courage, trust, and friendship – this was their foundation. This was their Joint Resonance.   
  
The light then shattered, revealing the fruits of their labor. The meisters provided the avenues for linkage while the weapons exchanged their forms' most dominant characteristics, all the while increasing their individual abilities. The outline of Maka’s body was coated in Caius's purplish-blue wavelength like an aura while Soul's entire weapon form was coated in bright pink light from Claudia's. In addition, the blade of the scythe now extended upright from the pole, reminiscent of a war scythe. Caius had an orange aura thanks to Maka's wavelength whilst Claudia's weapon form was covered in a light blue sheen from Soul's. Her lance form now brandished a pair of curved blades around its central blade, looking similar to a trident or yari.   
  
"Venator Malorum."  
  
Project Omega stomped even further back, seeing the results of the team's successful Joint Resonance. The mechanical whirring heard as its legs moved was no longer loud and menacing, but faulty and frenzied. It made awkward movements as its eye rolled about erratically. Cancer watched with a straight face as her creation had a meltdown, making deductions as she did, _"Is the reason because it has not the intelligence nor the cognitive ability to comprehend their actions? Did its machine portions fail due to the density of their soul wavelengths?"_ She cupped her chin contemplatively, _"Well, being frightened cannot be an option… It cannot experience such a high-level emotion."_ She watched as Maka and Caius finally began charging at her creature and rethought her last statement, _"Then again, that might be primordial fear."_  
  
" _Let's goooo_!" Maka and Caius shouted, rushing at the monster with their transformed weapons ready and brimming with power from the Joint Resonance.  
  
In desperation, the monster fired its stored beam attack. In conjunction, Maka and Caius swung their weapons at the blast. When they clashed, the meisters immediately started pushing it back, the beam was nowhere near as powerful as before. With a roar of exertion, Maka and Caius finished their swings, sending the attack into the sky where it dissipated on its own.   
  
"Our turn." Caius declared, hurtling toward Project Omega with the modified lance ready to attack. When he was close, he rapidly slashed it seven times; five of which were individual strikes conducted by spinning in place, and the final two being a jumping upward slash and a falling diagonal cut to create a cross pattern. The attack severed the monster's two mechanical legs. "Maka! Wrap this up!" Caius called out as he jumped out of the way. The loss of its leg caused the creation to fall forward, unable to support its own weight.  
  
"With pleasure!" Maka replied, charging at the downed and helpless. She dragged the blade across the ground, tearing through the top of layer of concrete, as she ran. When in close proximity, Maka planted her foot and swung on an axis, swinging the blade with a rising motion of her arms. The force of her attack vertically split the entire being in half. Once the separated halves fell to the ground, the monster's bisected eye went from a bright crimson to a dull grey, signaling its defeat. Finally, the remnants of the creature turned black and unraveled, freeing its blood red soul from the corpse as it floated there.   
  
Its job finished, Venator Malorum deactivated as the Demon Weapons reverted back to their normal human forms. "Alright! We did it!" Soul rejoiced, smirking at the remains of the now dead monster, "Nice job, everyone!" The albino teenager walked up to Caius and held his hand up above his head.   
  
Caius smiled and reciprocated Soul's high five. "Flawless execution, if you ask me." He commented, please with the outcome of the undertakings.   
  
"Yeah, we make a pretty good team, don't we?" Maka said, smiling happily.   
  
"Of course we do!" Claudia asserted proudly and then said haughtily, "However, if it weren't for me and Caius, you would have gotten nowhere!"  
  
Maka's jaw dropped and then growled, "Are you serious?!" She retorted. She could not believe Claudia still acted high and mighty toward her after all that impressive cooperation together. Claudia laughed and winked at her to show she wasn’t serious about her remark. Caius and Soul chuckled at the interaction between the girls. They were just glad things turned out for the better today and hoped for smooth sailings in the future.   
  
As the four celebrated their victory, Cancer stood up from her spot and snapped her fingers. The remaining water in the piazza near her creation's soul quickly but quietly seized it before the students could notice it. The witch held her hand out as the water rose around it, scattering to reveal the soul now in her hand. "I suppose I preferred this outcome," she stated, turning to walk away, "I knew Project Omega had flaws that could only be seen in practice. Albarn and her lackeys exposed them quite handily. Now I am aware of what needs adjustments. After all…"  
  
She stopped walking, holding up the blood red soul and staring at her reflection in it. She allowed a tiny smile to grace her features, thinking of the possibilities if her plans were successful. The first form was simply the first step to realizing her ambitions, to completing what the Lucrenian Clan started long ago, to creating a world she knew was best.  
  
"It was just a prototype."  
  


* * *

  
Maka, Caius, Soul, and Claudia realized that Project Omega’s soul was gone soon after. For a little while, they searched the premises until the meisters’ injuries caught up to them. They guessed Cancer had reclaimed her property when they least expected it. So, they prided themselves with slaying Gestas and defeating Cancer's experiment and returned to the jet to go back home.   
  
Upon arrival, Maka and Caius were treated for their wounds by the three nurse practitioners on board. Currently, the Moncharmin private jet was on its return trip to Death City, Nevada. Inside, Maka and Caius were situated in the seats that doubled as beds when laid out. Bandages were wrapped around various parts of their bodies, and both of them were devoid of their coats and vests. Soul and Claudia sat at the edge of their respective meister's bed.  
  
“Hey, guys, you think we should tell Lord Death about that Cancer chick?” Soul suggested, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He did not want to chance anything. A Witch with a strong minion like that, Soul knew that was a recipe for chaos. Just look at what happened with Medusa and Crona and Arachne and Asura. Sure, those partnerships were no more, but the effects were fresh on Soul’s mind.   
  
Maka nodded, “Yeah, we’ll give him the report as soon as we get home.” She clenched her fist. It appeared Cancer was the newest threat to the world. Just those before her, they were going to stop her all the same.  
  
Claudia nodded at them, agreeing with the sentiments. She then looked at Caius, who was staring at his hands contemplatively. She reached out and placed her hand on his arm, and he looked at her, "You gonna be okay from now on?"   
  
"Well, I should be," Caius replied, "It'll take me some time to readjust, but not a terrible amount." He then thought about his previous behavior and then addressed the pair across from them, "L-Listen, Soul and Maka, I'm sorry for how I acted today. A-and every other time."  
  
"It's cool, Caius. You just needed some encouragement." Soul reassured. He then grinned wolfishly, “And a punch to the face.”  
  
"Let me know if you need another one.” Maka smiled innocently as she held up a fist.   
  
Caius smiled sheepishly. He was sure Maka’s punch accounted for his swollen jaw and not Project Omega. “Yeah, uh, I’ll think about it.”  
  
Claudia poked him in the arm to get his attention. "So where's _my_ sorry?" She questioned, only for him to stare at her confused, "I've had to tolerate your antisociality for two whole years! So I deserve something, Caius Vladingham!" She argued, crossing her arms.   
  
For a few seconds, he didn’t respond, thinking about how he should. Instead, he opted to do something else. Caius faked a deadpan as he replied, "Oh, you? You don't get anything."  
  
Claudia released a sustain gasp before turning away with a pout. Maka and Soul laughed humorously while Caius chuckled. Deep down, they all knew Caius was sorry for putting Claudia through that too. But the fact that he actually made a sort of joke showed he would be fine in the days to come, like he said.   
  
At least this flight back home would be more entertaining now that there were people to talk to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys like the first-ever depiction of Joint Resonance in the story. That's why this chapter took some time; it was an important one so it required all the description it needed to convey its content. In addition, this chapter also officially marks the end of the Introduction Arc and begins the Joint Resonance Training Arc. We're finally getting into the story. 
> 
> Also, I realized I never provided translations for any of the Latin-named techniques that appeared. So here they are:  
> Regnum Dei: Kingdom of God  
> Quo Vadis: "Whither goest thou/Where are you going"  
> Deus Iratus: "Wrathful God"  
> Venator Malorum: "Evil Hunter"
> 
> EDIT (3/11/15): Mala Venator was changed to Venator Malorum due to a better knowledge of Latin linguistics.


	9. Another Day: My Knight in Shining Armor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Class Crescent Moon finally gets some progress. Later on, Caius and Claudia talk about their fateful meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). Me and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.

**Another Day: My Knight in Shining Armor**

 

  
_Month 1, Week 2, Day 3 (Wednesday, January 10th)_  
  
"Are you prepared for your first day of school?"  
  
The DWMA was back to normal after the chaos caused by the Correctional Class. Well, normal for them at least. Walking down one of the halls was Noel, leading his children and their weapon partners to their homeroom. He felt proud that they were finally ready to further their careers and hoped they would make great contributions to the Academy.  
  
"'Course we are, Pops." Rowena replied, following her father with Nayumi by her.   
  
"Can't wait to get on some mission and crack some Kishin Egg skulls," Tsuji said enthusiastically, grinning at the prospect of slaying Monsters and Evil Humans. Marcellus walked by him, hands in his pockets and lollipop in his mouth.   
  
"Good." Noel said simply. He noticed the Crescent Moon Class's sign only a few feet ahead and spoke, "Ah, here we are. Stein's classroom. Good thing we're early so that you can meet him."  
  
"I remember you telling us he was a strange one," Nayumi said, folding her hands behind her back and tilting her head, "Why's that, Mr. Ricardsen?"  
  
On cue, the door to the Crescent Moon Class flew open. Stein, rolling backwards in his caster-wheel chair, surged out. However, the wheels hit the bottom frame of the entrance, throwing him off. "Whoa!" The scientist exclaimed, falling onto his back as the chair clattered against the tile floor.    
  
"That's why." Noel finally answered with a withheld expression of annoyance on his face. Tsuji, Rowena, Marcellus, and Nayumi stared at the fallen professor with a look of mild disbelief. They expected the "DWMA's strongest meister ever" to be a bit more coordinated and less quirky.   
  
"Ugh, damn it. Still keep tripping over it." Stein groused, standing up as he batted the dust off his lab coat and setting his chair back on its wheels.   
  
"Of course you're going to trip over it; you make no visible effort to avoid the ledge." Noel remarked matter-of-factly. He could have sworn he said that long ago.  
  
Stein turned to see the Ricardsens, raising a curious brow. "Well, hello there, Noel. Nice to see you here bright and early." He then noticed the four teenagers standing with him, having rather disillusioned looks on their faces. "Ah, and it's good to see your twins here too." He examined Tsuji and Rowena, noting they seemed to share Noel's taste for clothing, but their facial features differed somewhat. "Well, I see where they get their sense of style from. Though, they look more like their mother." He commented observantly, sitting in his chair again.   
  
"Okay, Doc, you're starting to creep us out a little." Tsuji said uneasily, grimacing at how intently Stein studied them. Marcellus simply stood there, uncaring of the situation.  
  
"And you know Momma?" Rowena inquired curiously.  
  
"You would be surprised to know they act like Rosalind too," Noel uttered with a sigh, cutting off his daughter.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Tsuji and Rowena questions, shooting accusing looks at their father. Nayumi giggled in amusement as Marcellus impassively rolled the lollipop around in his mouth, clicking it against his teeth.   
  
Stein cleared his throat to capture their attention, "Well, regardless, welcome to the Academy and Class Crescent Moon. If your father hasn't told you, I am Professor Franken Stein. I'm sure Noel gave you the packet I sent the four of you. Today, we're practicing Joint Resonance, so you guys can be partners. Tomorrow is a test day, so I hope you've been studying."   
  
"'Course we're ready for the Joint Resonance. That's like our thing." Rowena replied with a confident tone.   
  
"Though that test?" Tsuji chuckled awkwardly and looked off to the side, rubbed the back of his head and giving a lopsided smile, "Uhh… I dunno, Doc. Do we  _really_  have to take it  _tomorrow_? I mean, c'mon, we just got here!"  
  
Rowena matched Tsuji's demeanor and actions, hoping they would be able to pull a fast one and not have to take the test tomorrow, "Yeah, for real. That's a lot of stuff you're tryin' to make us learn. Can't ya cut some new students some slack?"  
  
"You guys have been studying, right?" Noel inquired.  
  
"Well, yeah, but this is too soon!" Tsuji and Rowena argued in unison.   
  
"Then you should not have any troubles. No, you're not exempt, so get a good night's rest tonight." Stein announced in finality, smiling blithely at them. Tsuji and Rowena hung their heads low, groaning and mumbling unhappily. They knew they were not going to do well on that test. Marcellus only shook his head, deciding not to comment all, since he knew Tsuji and Rowena opted to play video games instead of study on some of the nights.   
  
"Can I turn your screw?" Nayumi requested offhandedly, pointing at Stein's bolt.  
  
Stein cranked it counter-clockwise several times, stopping only when it clicked, "No." He answered simply, prompting a whine of disappointment from the purple-haired girl.   
  
Because of their earliness, the Ricardsen Twins and their weapon partners were the first of the Crescent Moon students to get settled in the homeroom. As the time came closer to first bell, more and more piled in.  
  
Maka and Soul sat in their seats, the latter yawning boredly as he stretched his back. The Scythe Meister then said optimistically, "Okay, Soul. We were able to do it with Caius and Claudia, so we're a shoo-in with Crona and Ragnarok." Now that she had an idea of what to do, how to feel, and what to think – along with an actual experience – she figured today would go more smoothly than last time.   
  
"That assumes Ragnarok will comply." Soul said rationally, glancing around the classroom that was quickly filling up with classmates. It was the usual sight, everyone doing typical activities that suited their character as well as engaging in idle chitchat. Over at the edge of the lowest tier of seats, he spotted he knew weren’t there the other day. "Hey, Maka, check it out. I think we got new students."  
  
"Huh?" When Soul gestured to the spot, Maka looked over and indeed saw four of the newest additions to the class. Tsuji and Rowena listened to their iPods while wearing earbuds, bobbing their heads rhythmically while mouthing the lyrics of the song. Nayumi fiddled with notebook paper, trying to make a paper animal. Marcellus leaned back in his seat with his feet propped up and head hanging back, sleeping soundly. "Oh, wow. They must've came in either yesterday or this morning." She said speculatively.   
  
_Ding. Dong. Dong. Ding._  
  
"All right, class," Stein spoke up after the first bell finishing ringing, clapping his hands to get everyone's attention, "You know the drill, let's head outside and continue the Joint Resonance training. Once we're there, get your partners and get to work."  
  
Stein led the way, slowly rolling out of the classroom with Noel right by him. The Crescent Moon Class all stood from their seats and filed out, following their instructors. They were once again back in the forest at the secondary campus. Knowing their objectives, they immediately got into their designated groups and went to business. Standing off to the side were Tsuji, Rowena, Nayumi, and Marcellus. The twins decided to watch how their new classmates handled Joint Resonance.   
  
"Think they'll get it?" Tsuji asked, surveying the area. According their father, today was the third trial day. If memory served him properly, it took him and Rowena about two weeks to succeed. Then another three weeks to master all they knew and could do with the resonance.   
  
Rowena shrugged her shoulders, "Eh, maybe, maybe not. I mean, don't wanna embarrass 'em. We can do Joint Resonance in a heartbeat."   
  
Tsuji laughed, completely agreeing, "You right about that, Rowena. It's almost unfair!"  
  
As the Thompson Sisters transformed into their twin pistol forms, Kid took a deep breath as he caught the guns and span them on his pinkies. "All right, Caius, ready for another go?" He asked, looking at the Lance Meister.  
  
Caius grabbed the lance and span it around a few times. When Kid addressed him, he nodded with a smile and responded encouragingly, "Yes, I am, Kid. This time, let's give it all we got. We'll make this work."   
  
Kid nodded as he produced a standard soul barrier around him, "Very well then. Try to keep up."   
  
"I will." Caius assured, exerting enough of his soul wavelength to create the same barrier.   
  
"Go! Joint Resonance!"  
  
Streams of soul energy exited from the soul barriers surrounding the meisters, steadily heading toward one another. Caius and Claudia knew what to do, trying to emulate their success in yesterday's Venice mission. Kid, Liz, and Patty were already experts at resonation, so maintaining equilibrium in their wavelengths wasn’t a problem. One-by-one, the strings began to connect. With each link, the strength of their uniting soul wavelengths intensified to the point everyone in the class could feel the power radiating from the pair.   
  
"What the…?" Blackstar mumbled, turning away from Ox after their fifth unsuccessful attempt and watching Kid and Caius finally connect all their streams. "They're doing it?!" It was only the third trial day, and a team was already way ahead of the pack.  
  
"Whoa, that's a lot of power coming from there." Kilik commented, him and his partner Kim watching as the conjoined strings of soul energy tugged the soul barriers around each meister to one another.   
  
Finally, the two souls merged together as one, releasing a powerful pulse as light blue and white soul energy flared around Caius and Kid. The assignment only required them to complete the resonance without actually getting into the transformation stage, which was the easiest part.   
  
"Yay! We did it!" Patty cheered happily, jumping for joy in the dark space inside her weapon form.   
  
"Nice job, you two." Liz complimented in an impressed tone.   
  
"We did it, Caius! WE DID IT!" Claudia shouted giddily, giggling with excitement.   
  
Over elsewhere, Maka and Soul watched as Caius and Kid completed their Joint Resonance. This was a step forward in the right direction for Caius. "HEY! Snap out of it, you two! We can't let Four Eyes and the OCD Freak outdo us! We gotta look epic too!" Ragnarok shouted abrasively. This immediately snapped Maka and Soul out of it, blinking in confusion. It seemed Caius and Kid's display motivated the Demon Sword to actually put an effort into this. Maka looked at Crona, who smiled sheepishly at her, so she decided to take the change of pace in stride.   
  
"Joint Resonance!"  
  
Maka and Crona began the process once more. Now that Ragnarok was actually cooperative this attempt, Maka knew today would be the day they would complete their task. She and Soul already had an idea of how to do it, and Crona was always most comfortable when partnered with her. Because of this, the strings connected at a relatively fast pace, and all eyes fell onto them this time.  
  
"Now Maka and Crona?!" Blackstar screamed, pulling at his blue hair furiously. People were stealing the spotlight from him. The students were supposed to fawn over him and his great Joint Resonance with Ox – not Maka and Crona or Kid and Caius.   
  
Ox growled enviously as he pulled on his hair pillars, "First she gets a higher grade than me on the Super Written Exam and now she gets Joint Resonance before me?!  _Curse you, Maka Albarn_!"   
  
Harvar and Tsubaki only sighed at their meisters' irate behavior.   
  
"Well, well, I'm quite surprised those four didn't get it yesterday." Stein commented, watching Maka and Crona as the combined strings starting pulling the soul barriers together. All the while, their wavelengths produced great light that demonstrated just how powerful the Joint Resonance was.   
  
"As expected of Kami's daughter," Noel remarked, putting his hands inside his pockets, "And I suppose Medusa's child."  
  
Soon enough, Maka and Crona succeeded in their Joint Resonance attempt. Just like Kid and Caius before them, as light blue and white soul energy surged around them, symbolizing the completion of their task.  
  
"YES! We got it!" Maka shouted happily, jumping up and down excitedly.  
  
"AW YEAH! Suck it!" Ragnarok hollered raucously.  
  
Tsuji and Rowena gawked, eyes blank and jaws ajar. Two pairs already did Joint Resonance in around three days – with apparent ease – in comparison to their five weeks of arduous and exhaustive work. Marcellus raised an eyebrow, crunching down on the remainder of his lollipop and spitting out the stick. "They started this just last Friday, right?" He questioned, reaching into his jacket and pulling out another lollipop, "Well, it doesn't really seem like it if you ask me."  
  
"I may not be that smart, but I think it's time you two stopped kidding around." Nayumi suggested bluntly.  
  
"Yeah! The short weirdo here is right! Let's get into gear!" Rowena vocalized, clenching her fist determinedly.   
  
"I'm not short! I'm 5'3”!" Nayumi argued, shaking her fist at her meister partner.   
  
After Nayumi and Marcellus transformed into their Demon Sledgehammer and Demon Bow forms respectively, Tsuji and Rowena grabbed them and came closer to the main group. The meisters looked at each other and nodded with smirks, ready to show their stuff on their first day of school.  
  
"Let's rock! Joint Resonance!"  
  
The Ricardsen Twins produced soul barriers. Then, the strands came out. Proving Rowena's earlier claim that they were very much familiar with the process, the strings instantly connected. The immense surge of power that promptly came out as a result of the fast fusion greatly surprised those around them.   
  
"I swear, if that's Kilik and Kim, I'm gonna-" Blackstar's snarl was silenced when he witnessed two completely unfamiliar meisters being the center of attraction this time. To make matters worse, they were doing everything more expeditiously than Kid and Caius or Maka and Crona. It was as if the process was completely natural to them. "What the? Tsubaki, who are those two?" He asked in confusion.   
  
Tsubaki's image appeared on the right-hand chain-scythe's blade, "Well, they weren't here yesterday. Are they new?"  
  
"You mean to tell me entirely new students can do it, too?!" Ox shouted outrageously. Blackstar's face contorted with jealous rage, sharing the Spear Meister's frustration.   
  
Within seconds, Tsuji and Rowena as wavelength energy poured out from them. The two looked at each other and grinned knowingly, raising their arms and bumping their forearms. The students in their immediate area were amazed at how fluidly they performed Joint Resonance. Even Stein looked impressed – though he maintained a characteristic expression – as he remarked, "Well, well, I can see they've been practicing far longer than anyone else in my class."  
  
"Hopefully, that shows everyone where they need to be," Noel stated expectantly.   
  
Blackstar determinedly looked at Ox and stated, "Okay, no more fooling around. It's our turn to take the spotlight."  
  
Ox nodded as his glasses glinted, "Then let's be more serious, shall we?"  
  
Motivated by the displays, the rest of the Crescent Moon Class upped their game. It helped that three pairs of classmates demonstrated how the actual process worked and looked like after its conclusion. Some students were even humble enough to ask successful others for advice. In that class section alone, much progress was shown. In light of that, Stein and Noel even decided not to mention that class time was running out, wanting to see how far the students would go. One-by-one, each pair finally succeeded in Joint Resonating.   
  
"Well, congratulations, everyone. You did it." Noel announced in an impressed tone after the class was gathered around. They were all beaming with pride, exchanging high-fives, and hollering with elation.   
  
"We will resume the exercises Friday as tomorrow is the day of your test." Stein said. He smirked evilly when he noticed almost half of the class gaining shocked and petrified looks on their faces. Evidently, they either had forgotten about it or did not study as much as preferred.   
  
"With that, you're dismissed," Noel informed with crossed arms, "Also, if you are late to your next period class, tell your instructor to see me or Stein about your tardiness."  
  
Stein walked up to Noel as the class began to leave. He placed a hand on his shoulder as he whispered, “Lord Death wants us in his room. It’s urgent.”  
  
“How urgent?” Noel asked, not looking his way.   
  
“Urgent as in we’ve got another enemy.”   
  
“What else is new?” Noel shook his head as he and his coworker started walking.  
  
As they headed back to the main building, some were dreading about tomorrow's test, complaining that tonight would be an all-nighter. Others were still too thrilled about their accomplishment to worry about their test. Then there was that sector of the class who were glad to have done Joint Resonance but were also still concerned about their potential performance on the test.   
  
Soul walked with a disgruntle expression, being one of those who was anxious about the examination. "Not cool. Too much went on, and I couldn't study." He groused, shoving his hands into his pockets.   
  
"Yeah, I wish I could've studied some more too." Maka stated, cupping her chin in thought. She had one more day to gather enough knowledge into her brain and then apply it to the test in order to maintain her almost perfect average. Then, she smiled as the light bulb went off in her head. "I got it!" She exclaimed.   
  
Soul looked at her curiously, "Lay it on me, Maka."  
  
Maka flashed a toothy smile, "Invite everyone over for another group study session!"

* * *

Homeroom finished, the staff and faculty were summoned to the Death Room by the headmaster himself. Lord Death picked this time because most of the student body was in P.E. or a class held by a regular teacher. They all stood in front of the God of Order as he waited for every last individual. When it seemed nobody was coming, he cleared his throat and began the meeting, “Thank you all for coming on such short notice. This is important due to a report I received recently.”  
  
“Is everything fine with the other military branches?” Sid asked.   
  
Lord Death shook his head, “Nope. Everything is peachy-keen. This hasn’t anything to do with the DWMA itself. Anyway, the team of Maka Albarn, Soul Eater, Caius Vladingham, and Claudia Moncharmin went on a mission to Venice, Italy the other day—”  
  
“ _What_?!” Spirit bellowed, causing some of the staff near him to jump in fright, “Did those bastards not keep my beloved angel safe?!”  
  
_REAPER CHOP!_  
  
“—And it was supposed to be a cut-and-dry mission,” Lord Death resumed as Spirit lied on a floor with blood pooling around his head, “But it wasn’t. It turns out they were paid a visit by someone.” His normally round eyes narrowed sharply – the face he made when he was out on the fields of battle – but he kept his normal tone of voice, “And that was someone was Cancer Lucrenian.”  
  
Murmurs sounded throughout the Death Room. Some of the faculty and staff in this very room were deployed that two years ago to answer the S.O.S. signal, but by the time they arrived, it was too late. It went from an emergency rescue mission to a wide-scale homicide investigation. Stein adjusted his glasses as they glinted, “So, she decided to come out of hiding. ‘Massacre Queen’ Cancer Lucrenian.” She was given that title in the aftermath. After all, the massacre was what put Cancer on the Academy’s radar.   
  
Noel shoved a clenched fist inside his pocket, keeping up his stoic appearance. He was one of those people deployed, and his heart broke when he saw two of his best friends dead. He looked to the side when he heard an animalistic growl and saw that Kathi was the perpetrator. “You okay, Kathi?”  
  
“Of course not.” Kathi spat darkly in response. She just hated Cancer with every fiber of her being. Noel raised an eyebrow, wondering why Kathi was so infuriated. She then looked to Lord Death, trying her best not to glare or sound disrespectful. “What do you propose we do then, Lord Death?”  
  
“That’s hard to answer,” Lord Death replied, “According to them, she left no trace. Just like the massacre, she struck and escaped.” He also remembered when they said she pitted them against this powerful creature, but they came out on top. That particularly worried him. He hoped this creature that this Lucrenian had on her side wasn’t what he thought.  _“No, it can’t be. We put an end to that centuries ago.”_  
  
“Regardless, it’s clear what this means.” Azusa stated, everyone turning to look at her. She pushed the glasses up the incline of her nose as she continued, “Arachne Gorgon, leader of Arachnophobia; Kishin Asura; and now ‘Massacre Queen’ Cancer Lucrenian. We have three major threats to deal with at the same time, and all three are waiting quietly in the shadows.”  
  
“Which is why we must stay diligent.” Lord Death spoke as everyone listened to him. “We will not yield to any of them. For right now, we’ll move on with our lives, but we’ll be doing our own thing quietly as well.” He locked gazes with Noel and told him, “Noel, I want you to extend those Joint Resonance exercises to the other EAT homerooms when you’re done with Stein’s. Got that?”  
  
“Yes, sir.”  
  
“Goodie!” Lord Death’s voice became goofy and chipper once more as he clapped his together, “You’re dismissed, everyone! Have a good rest of the day!”  


* * *

  
Throughout the day, both Soul and Maka approached their friends and asked if they could come to another study session. That evening, they all enjoyed each other’s company and ate the food Maka prepared. As for the studying itself, some were more into it than others, but at least everyone made an effort to stay on task. The get-together lasted for a good two and a half hours.   
  
After bidding their friends goodbye and agreeing to spend a little more time together, Maka, Soul, Caius, and Claudia decided to head to Deathbucks Café. The four were situated in one of the booths. The lighting inside the establishment was dim, reflecting that of an actual late-night restaurant.   
  
Serving them was a young man with medium-length, flaky, lavender hair and wisteria eyes. He wore the café's uniform which comprised of a white shirt with rolled-up sleeves that was accentuated by a black bow tie, a dark waistcoat, and matching trousers. He also wore an apron that was tied at the waist and featured a small Lord Death emblem. "Enjoy your drinks." He said genteelly, walking away once everyone was given his or her order. Maka was treated with a white hot chocolate drink while Soul simply opted for a blueberry scone. Caius was already sampling his vanilla bean frappuccino whereas Claudia ordered a strawberry and créme frappucino.   
  
The four were simply trying to kill time until sleepiness decided to catch up to them. However, even then, at least for Caius, Soul, and Maka, they would probably draw a line somewhere before closing time since they still had school tomorrow.  
  
"So, Maka, Soul," Caius spoke up in a curious tone, "How did you two meet and become partners?"  
  
Soul raised an eyebrow at the question but, nonetheless, answered him nonchalantly, "Well, to put it shortly, Maka found me playing the piano, and we went from there."  
  
Maka shoved Soul with her elbow slightly, "There’s more to it than that!" Claudia and Caius chuckled as Maka gave more details to their meeting, "While it was true I met him when he was playing the piano, it was just the type of song he played. It was so dark and creepy, so interesting. He said it represented himself, which it made it more interesting. So, from then on, we stayed together as partners."  
  
"You play piano?" Caius inquired, giving Soul an odd look.  
  
Claudia gasped in elation, "You're a pianist! That's so dreamy!"   
  
Soul frowned sourly, disliking all of the attention he was getting. Thankfully, an idea popped into his head. "Okay, since you asked, how did you and Claudia meet, Caius?" He asked.   
  
"Well, Caius saved me from some thugs in an alleyway two years." Claudia answered, closing her eyes and trying to recall the events of the day.  
  
Caius crossed his arms, leaning back in his seat and doing the same, "I’m sure you want the whole story, so we’ll try our best."

...  
  
_The Moncharmin manor two years ago was hardly any different from today. A tall, stone wall circle around the large mansion, featuring two black iron gates in the front and the back. The structure itself was roughly rectangular in shape and had a flat rooftop save for the chimney openings and balconies.  
  
The left side featured a large pond and a small bridge with floral designs. The right side was where the garage was, harboring the family's personal vehicles inside a simple structure with a sloped shingle top. Near that, wide brick paths came from the front and back gates and met in a circle with a grandiose statue in the middle. Currently, various vehicles filled these driveways and parts of the street outside the gate.   
  
The front lawn housed green grass, soft and lush, as well as ceramic walkways. Vines hung on the stone walls and pergolas, lamp posts, and stone fountains. A grand staircase led to the front patio. A trio of columns supported the pediment above the entrance to the mansion. It was nighttime, so all the lights outside were on.   
  
Inside, the foyer was the largest part of mansion. It featured a bronze, patterned floor accentuated by a wide, red tarp that led to the similarly colored, shaggy staircase in the back. Both the rug and the staircase had fleur-de-lis insignias along the edges, a staple of French culture. The brass chandeliers hanging on the ceilings and the lamps on the walls provided suitable amounts of light for the evening. The foyer was full of guests mingling and enjoying themselves. Many of the patrons were garbed in beautiful suits and dresses.   
  
Standing off to the side was 12-year-old Claudia. She too was dressed for the occasion, wearing a red dress with white roses and frilly ribbons, a red floral bow, a white coat, and matching bonnet. Her face was blank, her eyes were dull, and she was bored.   
  
The Moncharmin's faithful butler, Watson, stood beside her and noticed the rather unpleased look on her face, "What seems to be the matter, Miss Moncharmin?"   
  
"Why do Mom and Dad always have these parties?" Claudia asked, crossing her arms as she watched her parents mingle amongst the crowd. This was the fifth time in the past two weeks. Each and every time, she felt a wedge being driven between them. "And why do I always have to come?"  
  
"You must understand, Miss Moncharmin," Watson reasoned, "They are the proud owners of an extremely wealthy business in Europe and must conduct themselves accordingly. It is custom and tradition mixed in one. As for you, the daughter, you have to uphold an image as well."  
  
"But I don't like this!" Claudia argued, throwing her arms down, "What about spending time with me, their daughter!? Can't business, tradition, and custom just wait this once!?"  
  
Watson swallowed thickly as he glanced around. He didn’t want Claudia to attract unwanted attention, "Please understand…"  
  
"No!" Claudia bawled, "Well, if they're too busy to care about me right now, then maybe they won't care if I stepped out for a little bit."  
  
Before Watson had a chance to speak, Claudia abruptly brushed past him and excused herself out the door. The butler tried to call out to her, but she was already gone. He sighed sadly. Perhaps she needed some air to cool herself off and time to think it over. As long as she remained inside the area, she would be fine.   
  
Too bad stepping out for a little while meant taking a walk around the city.   
  
Meanwhile, within the limits of Death City, someone else was going through tough times. Wandering through the dark streets was 14-year-old Caius. The boy's steps were slow, aimless, and methodical, matching the dead and glazed look in his eyes as well as the abject despair on his face. His attire consisted simply of a ragged black jacket, tattered jeans, and a tennis shoes.  
  
He stopped walking and looked over his shoulder to cast an expressionless glance toward the DWMA on the horizon. For the past day he stayed in the visitor's residence there. He sighed, facing forward and walking again. The rooms were not exactly comely, and he was tired of being asked all these questions. They did nothing to help soothe his foggy and unstable mind. That was exactly why he decided to take a walk without any of the staff's express permission.  
  
"As if they could do anything about my situation," Caius mumbled dejectedly under his breath, swinging the bag of books he brought over his shoulder. He closed his eyes as his body trembled, his mind replaying the exact reasons why he was in Death City. "N-N-Nobody…c-can…" He muttered, shivering more as traumatic fear coursed through his body.  
  
Just then, he heard crackling followed by flames being ignited. Caius reopened his eyes and looked to see his hands were engulfed in bluish flames. He scowled, dropping his bag, "And then there's this stuff showing up whenever it feels like." Caius walked over to a nearby faucet, turning it on and placing his flaming hands over the running water. However, the flames were not extinguished. He sighed, turning it off and standing up. "I also don't get how water can't extinguish them…Jeez, just when I'm ready learn more about Soul Blaze, they just…"  
  
He stopped himself, feeling himself shaking again. Deciding he didn’t need another headache, he grabbed his bag of books and continued walking. He offhandedly wondered why the blue flames didn’t set the bag on fire. "I need a distraction." He spotted a fire escape near the entrance to an alleyway.   
  
"…Even if…it's just temporary…" The despair and sadness came back full blast, causing him to sniffle and clench his fists as he walked up the metals steps. He had hoped being in a different place would help, but nothing seemingly changed. As he reached the topmost platform and set the bag of books down, he looked over the railing and at the distant ground.   
  
The dingy darkness almost looked welcoming…  
  
He suddenly shook his head, erasing any lingering thoughts inside his head, sat down, and fished out a book. "Just try to immerse yourself, Caius. Don't think about anything else." He reminded himself, "…if you can, that is…" He whimpered, resting his forehead against the surface of the book and closing his watering eyes, the flames around his hands reflecting off of his glasses.   
  
"Oh, I just don't know why they don't understand me."  
  
Caius removed his face off of his book and looked over his shoulder, catching the glimpse of a beautifully dressed little girl walking toward the alley the fire escape overlooked. He shrugged his shoulders and went back to his book, trying his hardest to stay on task.   
  
Claudia stopped in front of the alley and sighed, rubbing her temples. Thanks to this walk, she felt a little better. Still, she wished her parents spent less time worrying about being rich people and more being loving parents.  
  
"Hey, little girl, why are you out so late?"  
  
Claudia gasped and quickly turned around, her face blanching at the sight of three shadily dressed thugs standing before her. She started to sweat nervously as her hands shook uncontrollably. Of all the days she decided to wander around unsupervised.   
  
"That's a nice dress you got there."  
  
"Got any other fancy stuff with you, girlie?"  
  
Instantly, Claudia's natural fight-or-flight system kicked in, prompting her to run inside the alley as fast as she could. She hoped there would be an open street on the other side or at least someone who could help. Her ears perceived the sounds of loud footsteps. They were chasing her. She kept moving as swiftly as her small legs could allow, longing for the light at the end of this tunnel.  
  
However, those hopes were dashed as she saw nothing but a dead-end; a dark, dank dead-end. Her face showed pure misery as she looked at the brick wall, her throat becoming dry. Then, she heard loud but slow, imposing trudges. She turned around, seeing the trio of thugs coming closer and closer to her. Her heart beat rapidly as her entire body shook.   
  
"S-Someone…please…help me…" She whispered, her voice so hoarse she couldn’t even scream for help.   
  
Unbeknownst to her and the thugs, Caius stood on the roof's ledge and watched everything unfold. First he bore witness to the destruction of his direct family and other clan members, then he was displaced from his homeland to the DWMA, and now some punks were harassing a little girl.  
  
"As if I didn't have any more problems in my life," Caius groused, cursing his luck as he tied a knot around the opening of his bag. He then tossed it over the edge toward the space behind the thugs. Immediately afterwards, he jumped off and headed to the punk closest to Claudia. _ "Well, time to apply what Phyllis and Remus instilled in me. Let's hope these flames actually do some good!"  _He thought, raising his hands above his head as the flames danced around them.  
  
The three thugs suddenly heard a thump behind them and turned around, only to be confused when they saw a seemingly hefty bag on the ground.   
  
"Did someone drop—" Before the thug could even finish his sentence, he was suddenly driven into the ground with great force, small amounts of rumble and dust flying out from the impact. Claudia and the other two looked on in shock. His attacker was a young boy who had a dull expression, his fingers interlaced from delivering the hammer blow that knocked him out. Most importantly, his hands and arms were covered in blue flames which had slightly charred the thug's hair, collar, and face.   
  
_ "Wait, so that burned him?"  _Caius questioned in his mind, noticing the singes on the man. That made just as much sense as water not extinguishing the flames or his bag and books not catching on fire on contact.  
  
"Hey! Who the hell are you?" the second thug demanded.  
  
The bag provided a great distraction in taking out one of the targets, and the momentum of his fall certainly helped as well. Now, he had to directly fight the others on equal footing. "That's my line." Caius replied, removing himself off the fallen thug and facing the other two. The second thug did not like that response, growling as he charged at Caius. The boy adjusted his glasses, sidestepping two of the ruffian's punches before using his leg to trip him up. Then, he proceeded to deliver another fierce hammer blow to the side of the second thug's face, clubbing his head straight into the brick wall and giving him injuries similar to the first victim.   
  
"Why you little bastard!" the third and final snarled, pulling out a knife from his pocket.   
  
Claudia gasped fearfully, seeing the glint of the metal blade. Fighting people unarmed was one thing, but now someone had a weapon that could seriously hurt her and Caius. "Look out!" She screamed, notifying him of the armed and dangerous thug.  
  
Caius, thanks to Claudia's warning, was able to spot the thug and react quickly enough to avoid a jab of the knife, which had nicked off parts of his coat's shoulder. He backed away and held up his flaming fists. However, much to his surprise, the bluish flames disappeared, causing him to look up at the night sky with a withheld expression of annoyance. _ "A mind of its own." _  
  
The final thug lunged at Caius with the knife ready in his hand. Acting quickly, Caius let himself fall back as he clamped his hand around the larger, burlier one carrying it. Now, he was on his back trying to keep the knife at bay. Of course, in a contest of raw strength alone, the bigger and more muscular thug was gaining ground, slowly but surely getting the blade closer to Caius's chest.   
  
Caius ground his teeth, berating himself for thinking he could overpower a thug without speed, reflexes, and momentum helping him out. Just then he noticed something – one of his knees was propped while the thug's legs were spread in his stance. An idea sprung in his hand, but he didn't necessarily like it. "W-Well…sorry about this… no man ever wants to be hit there…!" Caius geared back his propped-up leg and launched his foot straight into the man's scrotal area.   
  
The thug choked hoarsely as he doubled over in pain, dropping the knife as he staggered backwards and gave Caius some room. Seeing his chance, Caius shot himself up using an athletic springing kick. At the same time, his feet crashed against the man's head, sending him face first into the brick wall nearby.   
  
"And that's that." Caius mumbled thankfully after landing on his feet, placing one hand on the ground to make sure he kept his balance. He stood up straight while picking up his bag of books, turning to check on the girl he saved. Claudia was busy looking him with wide and shimmering eyes, so it seemed like she was fine. "Hey, little girl, you should be with your mom and dad at all times. You're far too young to leave their side."   
  
Claudia narrowed her teal eyes. Her savior had spoken in a way that implied she was much younger than she actually was. "How dare you! I am not a little child! I'm older than I look, you know!" she chided, pouting and crossing her arms.   
  
Caius blinked in confusion and asked curiously, "W-Wait, how old are you then?"  
  
"Twelve."  
  
He scratched in his head through his hair. He couldn't believe this girl was only two years his junior. Her manner of dressing and physical stature suggested a few more years than that. "Right." he sighed, turning around and hauling his bag over his shoulder.   
  
"W-Wait!" Claudia yelled, running up to his side. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow as she requested, "Can you walk me back to my home?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess. Just don't stray from home like that again." Caius replied judgmentally, "Nobody is going to be there to save you all the time."  
  
Claudia nodded, and the two started walking with her leading the way. For a good while, nothing but silence lingered between the two except for their footsteps and the nighttime noises. Claudia decided to end the drawn-out quietness, "Um…my name is Claudia, and, uh, if I may ask, what are you doing here in Death City?"  
  
"I've got nowhere to go. I'm an orphan." Caius responded quietly, keeping his eyes forward. He also neglected to reciprocate the introduction. He didn’t want some young-looking stranger involved in his business.  
  
"O-Oh…I'm sorry," Despite Claudia’s current feelings toward her parents, she still treasured them. She couldn't imagine life without them. More silence threatened to emerge between the two, so Claudia changed the subject, "A-Also, I couldn't help but notice how you fought. Are you a Meister by any chance?"   
  
"Well, I'm not a Demon Weapon, so I guess I am."  
  
"Ah," Claudia nodded, "I'm a Demon Weapon, and I go to the Academy. Though, right now, I'm still trying to find a partner."  
  
"Just keep looking. You'll find someone eventually." Caius advised. At last, the two made it to their destination. They were outside the gates to the Moncharmin mansion. Judging from the number of cars, the occasion was still going strong. "Is this it?" Caius asked, marveling at the beauty and size of the manor.  
  
"Yes, this is my home." Claudia replied, turning to Caius and curtseying, "I thank you for your time and for saving me."  
  
"Don't go getting yourself into any more trouble." Caius warned.  
  
Claudia nodded, watching as he turned and began leaving. She remembered when Caius mentioned he was an orphan with nowhere to go. So, how was he going to survive the night? To her, a simple thanks wasn't enough to pay back his kindness. "Wait!" She called out, running to him. He stopped and looked at her quizzically. "Come with me!" Claudia ordered, grabbing his hand, bringing him along, and giggling excitedly.   
  
Caius was helplessly dragged by Claudia into the gate, across the paths, and to the entrance of the mansion. "W-What do you think you're doing?" He questioned as Claudia reached up to the brass knocker and banged it against the door a few times. He never got an answer.   
  
As she expected, Watson answered the door. "Good heavens, Claudia, you were out for some time." He said in astonishment. That was when he noticed the young boy standing beside her. "And who is this gentleman?"   
  
Claudia cleared her throat, preparing her explanation, "Well, to be honest, Watson, I stepped out of the mansion grounds." She saw the appalled look on the butler's look and quickly went on, "Yes, yes, I should have known better, and it almost cost me. BUT! BUT! This gentleman here saved me and escorted me back home. So, can we come inside? I need to talk to my parents."  
  
Watson exchanged looks between the hopeful Claudia and the perplexed Caius and sighed, knowing that his take on the matter did not amount to much. "Very well then. Come in and stand off to the side. I shall fetch Master Claude and Miss Diana.” He said, stepping aside so that the two could enter.   
  
Claudia's face brightened up as she tugged on Caius's arm, bringing him inside with her. As Watson closed the door behind them and slipped away, Caius's eyes widened at the scene with great awe. Everything looked very expensive: the gourmet food, the different types of clothing, and the house itself. "W-Wow, this place is gorgeous," he remarked, "It's kept so clean, and everyone looks amazing!”  
  
"Mmm. I suppose." Claudia nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders. Since she had been exposed to the high-class lifestyle from the time she was born, downgrading all this wasn't a problem. That was when Watson returned and informed them that Claudia's parents were ready. "Come on." She started pulling Caius again, who decided not to voice that he could follow on his own.   
  
Watson, Caius, and Claudia made it to the latter's parents, both of whom were forty-years-old yet still looked in their prime with only the slightest hints of age. Claude sported a wingtip style tuxedo shirt with a forest green tie, a black suit with forest green vine-like decorations that trailed along the right sleeve, and matching dress pants. His blond hair was short and slicked back. Diana wore an elegant, golden yellow and dim white lace dress with curved streak patterns. Her hair was pinned up in a bun.   
  
"There you are, young lady." Claude spoke, "Watson here told me everything. What do you have to say for yourself?"  
  
"Firstly, I truly apologize, and it won't happen again! I promise!" Claudia said, clapping her hands together. Then, she moved onto more pressing matters, "But, this boy saved me from thugs in my time of need! So, out of gratitude, we need to give him a place to stay! At least for the night!"  
  
Claude and Diana examined Caius, who stood straighter than an arrows under their scrutinizing eyes. His eyes didn't express very much emotion, and his clothing indicatively showed minimal self-interest. As parents, they could tell this children went through something terrible – no matter how hard he tried to suppress it in their faces.   
  
"May we have the name of our daughter's savior?" Diana asked.  
  
"It's Caius Vladingham, sir and ma'am."   
  
Claudia and Diana's expressions showed a bit of a shock for a moment. The surname in and of itself spoke volumes, but the forename sealed the deal. With that knowledge in mind, the boy now started to seem rather familiar facially. He looked like two people they knew once upon a time. Mr. and Mrs. Moncharmin smiled and said in unison, "Very well then."  
  
"Watson, please take this young man's bag and see that he gets a room and proper care." Claude requested.   
  
"And please put him in some decent clothing." Diana added in with a kind tone.   
  
"Yes, sir and madam." Watson replied with a bow as Caius's jaw dropped. Claudia giggled happily, knowing her savior would be well take care of. "Allow me, sir. And please follow me if you will." Watson said, relinquishing Caius of his bag and walking off.  
  
"U-Uh, okay?" Caius uneasily followed Watson to the staircase. He supposed that sleeping in a fancy mansion was better than the homely visitor's residence at the DWMA. However, it wasn't his place to be a burden, and he did not want these people involved in his life. _ "I'll leave tomorrow morning."  _  
  
He appreciated the nice atmosphere, the cozy bed, and warm room they gave him. He also liked that his clothes were cleaned and pressed – a stark contrast to how dirty and dingy they were. Finally, a nice and long shower was definitely needed to give him at least some relief.   
  
But one night was all he planned on spending. Currently, the Vladingham boy was walking down a hall in the mansion, the rows of windows on the side allowing the morning sun to light it. His bag was also in his possession, the loosest end tied around his shoulder to free both hands. "Thanks for the kindness, but I'll be going now." He said to himself, knowing the people he was addressing could not hear him.  
  
"Good morning, young master."  
  
Caius nearly jumped out of his skin. He whipped around restlessly and saw Watson standing behind him. How the butler managed to get behind him in this quiet hall was beyond him. The fifty-year-old man was carrying a tray with buttered toast, a cup of tea, and a ham and cheese omelet with spinach.  "I don't suppose you at least would like breakfast before you take your leave?" Watson asked.   
  
"E-er…um, well, I guess not." Caius tensely accepted the tray with breakfast food and started with the toast.   
  
"And are you quite sure you want to leave without giving them personal regards?" Watson inquired.   
  
Caius swallowed his food quietly, contemplating on the matter. Well, he was hoping to leave with not another word. Unfortunately, Watson's appearance put an end to that. "Where are they?" He asked. If the Moncharmins insisted an extended stay, he would politely decline and go on his way.   
  
"I believe they were in the conservatory. Please follow me." Watson stated, walking past Caius and leading the way. The butler escorted the young boy to the western part of the mansion. They stopped at the entrance, and Caius examined the infrastructure as he sipped his warm tea. Integrated to the side of the house, it was a room with glass walls and a sloped roof allowing fresh sunlight and a view of the outside pond. There was a thin, tile walkway and ornamental stone benches. Vibrant clusters of reds, blues, and yellows complemented the dark green foliage.  
  
In the conservatory were Claudia, Claude, and Diana. The three of them wore casual, household clothing, which still seemed expensive compared to ordinary people. Then, there was a fellow with them. He wore a red and black suit with a white frilled shirt with frilled cuffs and an untucked high collar. He examined Claudia with a rather pompous smile and commented, "Yes, indeed, you'd make a fine weapon partner for a man of my caliber."   
  
Claudia refrained from rolling her eyes.   
  
"Now, then, let's see how you can wield her." Claude said, looking at his daughter, "Go on, Claudia."  
  
Claudia nodded but retained her sour expression as her body glowed, the formless mass then slipping into the gentlemen's hands and transforming into a gold and white lance. The sunlight gleamed off the blade – a beautiful instrument of murder and justice.   
  
The young man gripped the lance but frowned when he noticed it had some undesirable weight to it. "Can you be less heavy? I can't hold you comfortably." He demanded, unable to assume a proper stance or even twirl it.  
  
"There's nothing I can do." Claudia retorted.  
  
The fellow scoffed, "Come now. You must do something! Here, let me try this!" Then, he proceeded to try and force his soul wavelength into the lance. Perhaps a connection between them would make things more favorable. However, Claudia rejected it. The lance itself squirmed around as it became even heavier. "Why isn't this working? This is horrible!" He jeered, setting the blunt end of the lance down on the floor so that it could support some of the unnecessary weight. Then, he was able to catch sight of his own reflection in the blade of the lance. He smiled arrogantly, admiring his mirror image. "Ooh, now who's this handsome devil?" He crooned narcissistically, planting a kiss on the reflection.   
  
To Claudia, that was the last straw. His disgusting lips were tainting her otherwise flawless weapon form. The section below the blade glowed and allowed Claudia to manifest one of her arms. "QUIT THAT!" She shouted, slapping the fellow across the face.   
  
"OW!" The young man staggered back, dropping the lance as Claudia reverted completely back to her human form, "Why did you do that?!"   
  
"Because you're an obnoxious prick!" Claudia affronted with a huff, placing her hands on her hips and turning her head away with her nose in the air.   
  
The fellow sneered. This girl had the audacity to both strike and insult him. If she couldn't handle him and his personality, then she had no right to be his partner. "Sorry, I don't think this will work out. I refuse to deal with her." He declared pretentiously, immediately taking his leave.   
  
Claudia was glad that he was gone. Her parents, on the other hand, hung their heads low. This did not go as well as envisioned. Caius and Watson stayed out of sight by the entrance, having born witness to entire event. Watson shook his head while Caius was disappointed in both the fellow's and Claudia's behavior. He thought people of higher class had better manners.  
  
Claudia sighed and sat on one of the stone benches, "Mother, Father, why can't I pick my own partner just like everyone else at the Academy? This isn't going well."   
  
"Well, because it's tradition for Moncharmins to select their children's partner." Claude answered simply.  
  
"That's how your father and I were partnered." Diana added in and then reassured hopefully, "Don't worry, we won't rest until we find you the perfect partner!"  
  
Caius felt sorry for Claudia. She would have to deal with potentially more pompous fools. There was no telling how that would go. He sighed and handed over the now empty tray to Watson. "Well, she's in for a rough time." He stated with a small yawn.   
  
Watson took the tray and watched the masters in the conservatory with a neutral expression. "As you can see, finding partners isn't an easy task as presumed. Meisters and Weapons must be able to match wavelengths and work together through anything. Most of the time, partnerships seemed to be orchestrated by fate itself." He looked at Caius and finally said, "But, if they just keep looking, they will find someone eventually."  
  
Caius nodded, giving a sustained look at the parents and their child. Then, he noticed that Watson's last sentence was similar to what he said to Claudia as they arrived at the mansion. He looked at the butler who was still looking at him. Because he was intelligent, he could tell the man was insinuating something. "Yes, Mr. Watson?"   
  
"Why not give it a try?" Watson requested, giving him a friendly smile, "Meisters and Weapons find each other in the unlikeliest of places under the unlikeliest of situations after all. You seem like a decent young man, Caius Vladingham, yet one going through hard times. Perhaps this might help you along the way?"  
  
Caius stared at the wise butler, mystified. He then looked down contemplatively. Him, a meister? Well, the Vladingham Family was a well-established group of Meisters and Weapons. As the last one, all aspects of the legacy and tradition fell upon his shoulders.   
  
He then gasped slightly as his eyes widened. Perhaps, this was the opportunity he needed. There was still that witch, still alive and not convicted of her crime. Yes, he would attend the DWMA, get stronger, and confront Cancer. He would avenge his family. She needed to pay; pay with her very life. Vengeance would become his motivation until he finally put an end to her. And he would do it quietly. Her threat still lingered in her mind, and he truly believed she would carry it out. Nobody else needed to be involved, and he would make sure of that whether they liked it or not.   
  
Caius, finding his conviction, steeled his nerves and walked into the conservatory as Watson watched him. "Excuse me?" All eyes fell on him. For one second, his resolve faltered a little as he shyly avoided eye contact. However, he reminded himself why decided to step forth in his first place. He took a deep breath before continuing, "I, uh…saw what happened, and, um…" He gulped throatily and clenched his fists, "Let me try being Claudia's meister."  
  
Claudia and Diana gasped in surprise at Caius's declaration as Claude raised an eyebrow. "Are you certain, Caius?" He asked for confirmation, testing the sincerity of his words, "There are many vile creatures out there, and being a Meister with a Demon Weapons exposes you to them. It is your duty to face them all. Can you do that? Are you prepared for such a responsibility?"  
  
"We won't know until I try." Caius responded.   
  
An acceptable response. "Then by all means," Claude stepped aside leaving nothing between him and a smiling Claudia, "Try."  
  
Caius nodded and held his hand out to the younger girl, “Let’s give it a try.”   
  
"Okay!" Claudia chirped as her body morphed into her Demon Lance form again, slipping into Caius's outstretched hand. The boy admired the shape, contour, and shininess of the weapon now that he was up close to it. He tested its weight, finding that it was incredibly light. He could even spin the lance with only one hand as the axis. "Wow. Your weapon form's amazing."   
  
Claudia giggled, her pride swelling at the compliment, "That's because you're much stronger than that other guy."  
  
Diana giggled happily, clasping her hands together near her face, "My baby finally has a partner of her own now!"  
  
Claude smiled proudly, "Now, it's time we take you through the basics."  
  
"Alright," Caius span the lance a few more times before he gripped it tightly with both hands, "Shall we dance?"  
  
“Let’s.”_

...

  
"And that's how we met. I was admitted into the Academy by Claudia's parents a day after. Leading to where we are now." Caius explained, finishing up the story.   
  
"Heh. Looks like we got ourselves a knight in shining armor." Soul remarked jokingly.   
  
Caius lost some of his color. “Kn-Knight?!” He never pegged himself as that type of person. He was doing what he thought was right. The boy shook his head and his hands furiously, "Y-You’ve got the wrong idea! I’m no knight!”   
  
“I was just kidding.” Soul deadpanned, thinking Caius was taking this too seriously. “Dang, you need to get out more.”  
  
"Besides, he’s too geeky to be a knight." Claudia asserted, causing Soul to snicker and Maka to shake her head.   
  
“Oh, be quiet, Useless.” Caius muttered, glowering at her.   
  
A vein popped out on Claudia's left temple, " _Hey_!" Soul and Maka both laughed. Claudia then crossed her arms and defended herself, "I'm not useless! I just don't like to get my hands dirty." She then started to digress as her interests took precedence, "Or my dress. Or my hair. Or my shoes." She quickly put herself back on track, "But I am very resourceful! So NEH!" She ended her argument by sticking her tongue out at him.  
  
Caius flicked her tongue, "Sure you are." He replied sarcastically as Claudia yelped and covered her mouth.   
  
"Whoa. It's starting to get late. We need to leave." Maka informed, checking the time and looking around. They were literally the only people left in the café.  
  
"But I'm not tired!" Claudia whined.  
  
Soul yawned tiredly as he stood up, "Well, that's a pity. Too bad we don't have the same stamina as you do." He put his arms above his head and stretched his tired back, "Plus, we got school tomorrow if you don't remember."  
  
"Yeah, let’s go." Maka said as she took stood up. Both she and Soul left a tip for the waiter.   
  
"Oookay." Claudia sighed resignedly with Caius as they contributed to the tip.  
  
It was another satisfying day as everyone let sleep consume them in preparation for the next day. They accomplished Joint Resonance and got ready for a big test, awaiting what other tasks Professor Stein and Mr. Ricardsen had in store for them.   
  
Hopefully, they’ll be ready for the next trial lurking in the shadows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT (3/12/15): Instead of the scene at Maka's house, my edits replaced it with a scene in the Death Room. I felt it was more important. But for those who actually liked it, I'll splice it with future chapters.


	10. The Approaching Threat From Nowhere

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is test day. Many headaches, broken pencils, and brain farts abound. A good mission afterwards will surely help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.

**The Approaching Threat From Nowhere**  
  
 _Month 1, Week 2, Day 4 (Thursday, January 11th)_  
  
The ocean, one of the most fascinating parts of the Earth itself. The celestial rays of the Sun painted a canvas of different shades of blue beneath through the surface. The resulting crystalline sheen complemented the dark rocks and ridges. The seamounts and reefs provided shelter for a diverse array of small aquatic animals. Schools of fish and other sea creatures enjoyed their biome with not a care in the world, incapable of minding the large, subterranean structure that occupied a great amount of space.  
  
Attached to the bottom of a rock formation was a large, roughly rectangular aquatic building. Its bright silver façade featured huge pressure-windows that afforded a view of the sea outside. It also had dark bluish columns between each window. Extending from the underside of this structure was another whose conjoined top almost equaled the size of the other. The edifice was mainly constructed of gear-like elements that tapered into a roughly conical design. This part was the primary component of the entire facility – an integrated extension of the rectangular but secondary section.  
  
In the centermost part of the facility, there was a large room with a large pool in the middle. It was currently covered by a glass layer to facilitate movement in the room. Circumnavigating this pool was an expansive laboratory containing various equipment, machines, and computers. A large mother-computer was also present. The ceiling was high, including a system of pipelines and vents. Finally, there were two large, bidirectional, and mechanical doors in walls facing across from each other. They were accessible by the steel stairways integrated into the tall daises below the doors.  
  
Cancer leaned against the frame of the mother-computer's large keyboard, resting her chin in her available arm's hand while its elbow was propped. Her ankles were crossed as her eyes examined the screen contemplatively. It displayed a digital map of the Middle East with a red dot placed over a certain location. "Still no movement, I see… It has already been five years." She mumbled.  
  
Then she heard one of the mechanical doors open with a quick drone, followed by a male, refined voice declaring: "I've done the assigned tasks, Lady Cancer."  
  
Cancer removed herself off the keyboard and looked over to the door. Standing on the platform as the door closed behind him was a creature who combined the characteristics of a crab and a man. His entire body was colored grayish blue, including his skin and the shell on his back. His blocky head was garnished in an organic, square helmet that seemed part of his body. The helmet featured a series of vertical ovals where his mouth was supposed to be, resembling a vent. His eyeholes were dark and hollow. The creature's main body consisted of a muscular torso and midriff, a very large crab claw for a right arm, and a regular but muscular human left arm. Finally, the muscles at the end of his midriff converged into a single joint for his three crab legs, two extending out to the side and one to the back.  
  
"Ah, Henderson. You have returned." Cancer said as Henderson walked down the stairs and entered her sanctuary.   
  
"Indeed," Henderson replied, approaching her, "As I was saying, the Surveillance Crabs and the creature, codenamed 'Gladiolus,' have been placed at the location you named." He looked at her intently and asked dubiously, "Are you quite certain you're prepared to reveal it now?"  
  
Cancer walked past Henderson as she replied, "I believe we are at the point where we can. I see no long-term consequences even if the DWMA gets their hands on it. They have not a clue what it is anyway. Plus, I am trying to test something out that I need my guinea pigs to prove or disprove."   
  
Henderson followed her but kept his distance as she moved toward a containment tube full of sky blue liquids. "Then I understand your judgment, Lady Cancer. Small steps toward the bigger goal." He rationalized.  
  
"Precisely." Cancer stood in front of the tube, the soft glow reflecting off her silver hair. The title  _00000Ω_  was embroidered on the glass surface in bold, dark red letters. A large, blood red soul floated inside it.   
  
"They certainly helped to weed out the flaws I saw in Venice. Now, let us see if they can help me with something else."  
  


* * *

  
"Yes! Test day! Time to get the highest score." Caius proclaimed as he walked through the hallways. He had a more confident stride in his step. Last night's study session worked like a charm. He felt tons more ready.   
  
"Oh, yippie." Claudia muttered unenthusiastically with an expression to match her tone, walking slowly beside him.  
  
Caius looked at her confusedly, "Tired?"  
  
Claudia shook her head, "No. Just not thrilled we're having a test."  
  
"But you've been studying, right? You should have no problem." Caius replied reasonably, failing to understand the issue. Then again, not many people actually enjoyed taking tests and furthering their academic knowledge.   
  
"Yes, but, " Claudia looked away, her face flushing in embarrassment as she admitted, "When I take a test...my mind goes blank. And that stops me from finishing them."  
  
"Oh, now I see." Caius said in realization, crossing his arms. So, she was experiencing persistent text anxiety, something commonplace among young students.   
  
"So I'm going to fail the test! No matter how much I study, I keep getting low grades!" Claudia fussed worriedly, shaking her head with both her hands on either cheek.   
  
Caius sighed, recognizing one simple solution to her problem. He leaned against the wall and said critically, "Geez, Claudia. With all the money you have, you could've afforded to sign up for a test-taking class."  
  
Claudia stopped and looked at her meister curiously, "Test-taking class?"  
  
"Uh, yeah?" Caius looked at her weirdly, "Never heard of them?"  
  
"Not really." The Demon Lance replied, completely honestly. Caius sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He was beginning to understand why her parents always asked him to supervise her. Common sense would have told anyone to seek out a workshop or tutor that could have given strategies on how to overcome text anxiety. "I must sign up for this class!" Claudia declared and then asked, "How much time do we have until the bell rings?"  
  
Caius removed himself off the wall, pulled out his cell phone, and checked the time. "We have fifteen minutes until the first bell."   
  
"Then we have no time to waste. We must go to the registrar's office and get me into that test-taking class!" Claudia proclaimed before running off the opposite way down the hall.   
  
Caius watched her go with a neutral expression. He stood here for a couple of seconds before turning around and continuing on. "Eh, she's a big girl." He said nonchalantly, heading into class. She could do this one thing without him.   
  
Almost all of the Crescent Moon Class was already situated in their seats. Maka finished preparing for the test, Soul shuffled in his seat and even looked like he was seating, Blackstar had a large goofy grin on his face as if he were completely ready, Tsubaki was relaxed and content, Kid sat stoutly in his seat, Liz filed her nails and showed no concern about the upcoming examination, and Patty hummed a tune to herself. Tsuji and Rowena shook nervously as if they were watching a suspenseful horror movie, Marcellus looked tired and ready to fall asleep anytime, and Nayumi simply sat there looking the most normal of the four. Ox was smirking superiorly, which meant he was gunning for the top, and Crona was waiting patiently.   
  
“Come in and sit down. We start at the bell.” Stein said to newly-arriving students as he prepared the tests. Twelve minutes passed afterwards, leaving three minutes left until class would officially begin. Everyone waited either anxiously or confidently for the first bell to ring, which would symbolize the beginning of the test. Stein was currently passing it out now, leaving the test facedown before each student.  
  
"Don't touch the tests until I say begin." Stein ordered. When he noticed from the corner of his eyes that Blackstar was indiscreetly trying to peek at the test questions, he reached into his lab coat pocket and nonchalantly flung a scalpel over at him. The blade grazed his hair and stuck into the wall by him, prompting Blackstar to stop what he was doing and straighten in his seat. "And I mean that." Stein said coolly as he placed another test facedown on a desk.  
  
Caius started to worry as he eyed at the empty seat next to him. Claudia had yet to return from the school registrar. As soon as the test started, Stein would forbid entry. Sure, Claudia supposedly wasn't a good test-taker, but some kind of grade was better than an incomplete or even a zero. When the door closest to him opened up, and he saw Claudia enter, his shoulders slumped in relief.   
  
She slowly made her way up to her seat beside him and sat down, her eyes shadowed. Caius didn’t notice this and asked her, "So, how'd it go? Are you in that class now?" He received no response from her, and that bothered him. He cautiously placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her gently to capture her attention, “Claudia, I'm talking to you." He called out firmly. What exactly had happened to silence her like this? Finally, Claudia moved, looking up to him.  
  
"What's my social security number?"  
  
...  
  
...  
  
Caius fell over and out of his seat in the most awkward way, causing the people around him to snicker humoredly. If a test weren’t about to start, those snickers would have been full-blown howls of unrestrained laughter. Claudia, oblivious to her meister's comedic fall, continued as she whined hopelessly, "I didn't get a chance to sign up for the class because I didn't know what my social security number was."  
  
Caius picked himself and his glasses up, hearing her as he sat back in his seat. Well, at least it wasn't something serious as he initially thought. At the same time, however, she shouldn't have made it seem like there was. Plus, it was pretty sad Claudia didn't even know a crucial part of her identity. "Wait until after class. I'll help you." He stated wearily.   
  
Claudia’s frown turned upside down as her eyes regained their natural shine, "Oh, you will?! Thank you! You're so helpful~"  
  
Stein stood at the front of the class when was done and sat backwards in his caster-wheel chair. "Alright, class, any and all talking stops now. The test consists of 30 multiple-choice questions and 2 short essay questions. Make sure to pay attention to detail and answer all of them to the best of your ability. You will have one hour to finish this test." His glasses suddenly glinted eerily as he added in ominously, "And don't even think about cheating." Unmindful of some of his students shuddering in fear, he straighten up in his seat and muttered, "You may begin."  
  
The Crescent Moon Class all flipped their tests over at the same time and began. Some immediately got into it, answering questions as quickly as they could. Others took time to read over everything. There were also those applying their own test-taking strategies.   
  
 _"What does Joint Resonance consists of?"_  Maka decided to tackle the essay questions before going on to the supposedly easier multiple-choice questions. She confidently began writing the response as desired by the instructions.   
  
 _"Choose the best response. What accurately describes what happens during Soul Resonance?"_  Tsuji smirked at the question,  _"Oh, that's easy! You kiddin' me right now?"_  He then proceeded to read the four available choices. All of them were very similar in wording and were technically correct as it pertained to a Soul Resonance. It was simply a matter of choosing the best response. However, because Tsuji did not study well, he lacked the capacity to pick out the best choice. He slapped the test on the surface of his desk as he shot Stein a flat look,  _"Doc. I hate you. You suck."_  
  
Of course, there were also those not putting much effort into the test. Blackstar and Liz were filling in answers randomly because they did not know the answers or were too lazy to care, respectively. Kid was more preoccupied in writing his name and date as beautifully and precise as possible; although, compared to previous times, he did significantly better and seemed as if he would have time to actually answer questions. Claudia appeared to be in a dizzy daze as she wrote out her answers.   
  
Then there was that small number of students who were doing bizarre things to their test. Patty was currently taking the entire time to model her packet into a giraffe, but she was disappointed that she lacked the canyons needed to make it perfect. Nayumi gave up on the test halfway through and instead started doing origami using her test as the material.   
  
After a long hour of hard work, pressured struggling, and persistent mental lags, the bell finally rang. On cue, Stein stood up from his seat and declared, "Time's up! Put your pencils down and have a nice day!"   
  
The response to the grueling hours were mixed. Ox and Caius pumped a fist enthusiastically, proud of their work. Maka stood up as she had both arms in the air, sharing their elated confidence. Soul's and Claudia's head connected with their desk, venting their frustration. Liz, Marcellus, and Tsubaki were relieved that it was over. Patty currently had her paper-mâché giraffe in a headlock like that of a professional wrestler, and Nayumi wore her test on her head in the form of a sailor's hat throughout the entire time she was asleep.   
  
Kid lied on the floor and sobbed hysterically, pounding the floor like a little kid throwing a tantrum. He was unable to finish his two essay questions before time was called. "I didn't write the letters perfectly or finish my perfect test! I'm filthy garbage. My father would be ashamed!"  
  
" _This is stupid_!" Blackstar screeched, throwing his test papers in frustration. Rowena and Tsuji on the other side of the room violently threw their arms up in defeat, scattering their supplies and papers whilst spewing out a brief line of profanity.   
  
"Rest easy. Our lessons resumes tomorrow, and Mr. Ricardsen will be back. And I will have the results up on the bulletin board tomorrow." Stein informed as he waved his students off as they filed out of his classroom, blithely uncaring of how most of them felt about the test.   
  
Maka walked over to Caius and asked him, "So, how do you think you did?"  
  
Caius grinned, "I think I did pretty well. You?"  
  
"It was a piece of cake." Maka answered cockily. She then looked at Claudia and asked her nicely, "How did you hold up, Claudia?" Her response, however, was nothing more than distressed, muffled whining as Claudia kept her face on the desk. “Uhhh…” Maka droned, unsure of how to respond.    
  
Caius sighed and nonchalantly said, "Just give her a minute. She'll calm down."  
  
 _Ten minutes later_  
  
" _Waaaaaaaaaah_!!!" Claudia whined annoyingly loudly, flailing on the floor in a circle. Just as she had been doing for the past ten minutes. Caius, Soul, and Maka all watched, tired and irritated, as Claudia continued her extended nervous breakdown.   
  
Maka looked at Caius dully, "Give her a sec, eh? She'll calm down, you say?"  
  
"Don't test me."  
  


* * *

  
Elsewhere, Tsuji, Rowena, Marcellus, and Nayumi walked down the hallway, heading to a specific part of the building. Along the way, they talked about their individual performance on the past.    
  
"That was  _crap_!" Rowena shouted, pulling at her hair.  
  
"No, no, no, that test was bull crap!" Tsuji corrected her, grinding his teeth together, "I don't even know why Dad made us take it anyway!"  
  
"Well, our first day has already been a nightmare, and it ain't even over!" Rowena worried, hanging her head.   
  
"I hate this! I wanna go home!" Tsuji whined like a little girl, shaking his head furiously.   
  
“Try going to library next time to study instead of your rooms.” Marcellus recommended, chewing on his lollipop, “Then, you guys won’t be tempted to play games and junk.”  
  
“That ain’t happening.” Rowena declared, instantly lifting her head to give Marcellus a dull look. She had no appreciation for the library or for studying long amounts of time.   
  
Tsuji, too, stopped his antics on a dime after hearing that, “Hey. We have urges. Don’t judge us.”   
  
“And, besides, Marcey,” Nayumi spoke up, skipping alongside them with her hands folded behind her back, “I believe I caught you sleeping on the job a few times.”  
  
Marcellus shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. “What can I say? I like sleep.”  
  
The four eventually made it to the hallway that held the mission board and reception. The test gave them so much pent-up frustration. They didn’t have the drive to stay at school and fight through the rest of the day. They needed stress relief. The twins searched the entire board intently for a suitable mission.   
  
"Hey, let's pick the hardest one. I'm pissed enough to do it." Tsuji declared.   
  
"I agree. Besides, it’s time we do something other than prerequisite missions." Rowena asserted resolutely.   
  
As they continued looking, Maka and company were on their way to the bulletin board. They all consensually agreed to go on a mission, deciding the test was enough scholastic action for the day. Well, really, it started off as Claudia's suggestion after she finally calm down. Then, Blackstar appeared out of nowhere and wanted to go too. Everything else fell into place naturally, leading to now.   
  
The first thing they noticed was the new students raptly exploring the board. "Aren't those the new kids we saw the other day?" Claudia whispered to her group.   
  
"Yeah, I remember them from that exercise,” Liz said, squinting her eyes to get a better look at them, “Looks like they're looking for stuff too.”   
  
Hearing that, Patty found no reason not to introduce herself. "Oh! Oh! I got this!” She separated herself from the group and dashed over to them, “ _Hi, new people_!!!!” She greeted loudly, popping in the middle of them. Tsuji and Rowena jumped so badly their faces collided into the board. Marcellus accidentally swallowed his lollipop and started choking on it. Completely oblivious to her lack of tact, she went on, “My name’s Patricia Thompson, but everyone calls me Patty! I like giraffes, chocolate, sunny days, long walks on the beach, drawing, coloring, playing games, singing, fighting, shootings things—”  
  
“What was that last part?” Nayumi questioned, performing the heimlich maneuver on Marcellus until he coughed up the lollipop.   
  
“Sugar.” Patty smiled innocently. Just then, Liz walked over and grabbed Patty’s ear, pulling her away. “Ow, ow, ow! Sis, that huuuurts!” She cried as she was dragged off by her older sister.   
  
Kid sighed as he and the others approached them, “You’ll have to forgive my partner. She’s… special.”  
  
Rowena and Tsuji finally pulled their faces off the surface of the board. They looked at the reaper and replied in unison, “Oh, it’s cool.”  
  
“Say ‘it’s cool’ to my windpipe.” Marcellus grumbled, massaging his throat.   
  
“Well, that little scene aside,” Maka wanted to restart. First impressions were everything when it came to introductions, and Patty didn’t exactly give a good one, “You all must be knew to the Academy. Well, let me be the first to welcome you—"  
  
"Hey! I wanna be the first to welcome them!" Claudia interjected. Maka clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes but nonetheless acquiesced, gesturing her to go on. Smiling, she then did a curtsey, "Welcome to the Death Weapon Meister Academy! My name is Claudia Moncharmin!"  
  
"My God, you look like a Disney Princess more than an Academy student." Rowena remarked, squatting down and pulling at the fabric of her dress to examine it. Claudia tried to wrest control of her dress from Rowena but to no avail.   
  
“Can you even fight?” Tsuji questioned, cupping his chin.  
  
 _“Nope.”_  Maka, Soul, and Caius all thought in unison.   
  
Everyone else followed up with their introductions, allowing the Ricardsen Twins and their weapon partners to get acquainted and match face with name. "We’re the Ricardsens, Tsuji and Rowena. These are our partners, Marcellus and Nayumi." The twins introduced themselves in unison.   
  
"Wait a minute," Blackstar thought about the surname and then pointed at them, "‘Ricardsens’?! You're related to that guy?!"  
  
"Yep. He's our old man." Tsuji and Rowena responded shamelessly.  
  
Tsubaki then moved on to the next important matter. "So, how did you guys do on the test?"  
  
The atmosphere around Tsuji and Rowena suddenly turned black and blue, shadows covering their eyes. "Don't ask…Just don't."   
  
“Not that I good I see.” Tsubaki smiled sheepishly.   
  
"Well, if you guys need study partners, you could join us if you like sometime." Maka offered.  
  
"Thanks, but it's not that." Tsuji and Rowena replied simultaneously, "We  _just_  got in. Like, literally today. Doc and the Old Man just expect us to be able to score well on a test on stuff covered weeks in advance! Yeah, we got a packet and junk, but that didn't really prepare us for  _half_  the shit on the test!"  
  
“Did they just say all that at the same time?” Liz pointed out, a little freaked out. Nobody paid attention to her.    
  
"Sucks for you guys." Ragnarok retorted, prompting a glare from the twins.   
  
Crown frowned and sighed, "Ragnarok, that's not nice." The swordsman looked at them and explained, "Please forgive him. He's just grumpy that I did not let him eat sweets this morning."   
  
As Blackstar and Kid went up to the mission board, Nayumi fiddled with a strand of her purple hair as she whined, "Well, if we’re still talking about tests, I made a paper hat out of mine, but that meanie Stein took it up!"   
  
Patty walked over to Nayumi and patted her comfortingly on the head, "It’s ok. He took up my giraffe.”   
  
Nayumi raised an eyebrow at her, “You make paper animals too?”  
  
“Sometimes,” Patty replied. She swayed her body side-to-side as began thinking, "Maybe next time I should make an elephant."  
  
"I'm thinking of making a fan in my spare time." Nayumi said, looking up in thought.  
  
A light bulb went off in Patty’s head, "No! No! You should make a monkey! Then we can battle each other!"  
  
"Okay!" Monkeys were Nayumi’s favorite animals. Now that she found somewhere who liked origami as much as she did, Nayumi was sold on the idea. She wrapped her arms around the taller girl’s waist. “This is the start of a beautiful friendship~”  
  
"Hey, look! We found one!"  
  
Everyone looked to Blackstar and saw him pointing eagerly at an available mission. The group of DWMA student all walked over and read the specifications.   
  
 _Mission Location: Molenwaard, South Holland, the Netherlands  
Mission Description: There is a mysterious outbreak of odd abominations in Holland. Locate and execute them on the spot. Also, try to bring a sample of said monsters back for analysis.  
Mission Difficulty: B Rank  
Special Notes: Because of the municipality's expansive layout, a group is required to track down the supposed abominations. Bring as many teammates as you see fit. The more, the better.   
Status: Vacant_  
  
"Oh yeah. That one's definitely cool in my books." Soul commented, grinning.  
  
Kid looked at the Ricardsens and asked, "Are you in? 'The more, the better' it says."  
  
"Why not? Looks like the hardest one they have." Tsuji shrugged his shoulders.  
  
"I'm game." Rowena smirked. They spoke for their weapon partners.   
  
"Let's try meeting in the front of the school in an hour." Tsubaki suggested. That would give everyone ample time to get suited up, mentally prepare themselves, and do whatever else they had on their personal agenda.   
  
As Kid removed the mission from the board, he looked at the twins and the Ardsens, "Make sure to bring your student IDs. You'll need them for the trip." He received slow nods from them. Obviously, they weren't sure of their IDs' usefulness. "I'll go ahead and register everyone for the mission. See you guys in an hour."  
  
Nodding, the group dispersed. Kid went to Granny and got approval for the mission. Within the hour, the group finished up certain things. Maka got her assignments from other classes and picked up her battle coat with Soul following her the entire time. Blackstar decided to go to the dojo and get some extra muscle conditioning in as Tsubaki kept count for him. Caius went to the registrar and signed Claudia up for the test-taking skills class, latter getting his own battle outfit. Tsuji, Marcellus, Rowena, and Nayumi went to talk to Noel for a little bit about their test performance and their upcoming mission. Finally, Crona and Ragnarok simply waited for the hour to elapse.  
  
At the grounds in front of the entrance, everyone besides Claudia had gathered. Tsuji, Rowena, Marcellus, and Nayumi were currently walking up to the group now. "Mission~ mission~ we're going on a mission~" The latter sung, bobbing her head slightly to entertain herself.   
  
"Oh, look! Here they come! Hii~!" Patty said, waving at them as they approached.   
  
"What's good, ya'll?" Rowena greeted, joining their companions.   
  
"Ready to rock?" Tsuji asked, grinning excitedly.   
  
"Born ready." Soul said simply, hands in his pockets.  
  
"Are you kidding?!  _Let's go kick some ass_!" Blackstar shouted boisterously, throwing a fist into the air.   
  
The team proceeded down the giant staircase, heading to the land at the very bottom. Despite their physical fitness, going down the sheer length of the stairway would take a minute. Amongst the idle chatter, Kid reasoned that this was done to keep their students in top physical shape and to cement the DWMA's role as a monument for peace by having it so visible in the sky.   
  
"So, why did we need our IDs again?" Rowena inquired, eyeing over at Kid.  
  
Kid then explained thoroughly, "Well, for transportation purposes of course. At Death City Airport, when students on sanctioned business arrive, they must present their identification to the proper workers. They'll set up a flight to the destination, and we go on from there with our mission."  
  
"Oh, wow! I didn't know all that!" Tsuji replied in amazement, "When we did our prereqs, we were always escorted."  
  
The group soon reached the end of the staircase. When they did, Caius spoke up, "Okay. Our ride should be here soon."  
  
"Huh?" Everyone looked at Caius in confusion.  
  
On cue, a limousine rode up and parked in front of the DWMA students. Watson then stepped out and opened the door for them. "Party for the Holland mission, please enter." He requested.   
  
"Oh my God, we’re riding in style!" Liz squealed, her blues eyes practically shining with happiness.    
  
Tsuji and Rowena were the first to enter, and they gasped in amazement at the interior, "Man, this is dope." Everyone else followed suit, curious. The interior was basic for a limousine, featuring two-tone black leather sofas, spacious seating, tinted windows, and a sunroof. Once all the students were inside, Watson closed the door and went into the passenger seat at the front.   
  
Maka sat at one of the backward facing seats at the front of the passenger cabin. "Hey, where's Claudia?" She asked, looking over her shoulder at Watson, allowable to the due of the absence of a primary partition.   
  
"Miss Moncharmin is waiting for you all at the airport." Watson answered as the driver shifted the limousine into gear and began driving away.   
  
Caius knew Claudia wanted to go home and change her attire; however, he didn't know she went on ahead. "Alone?"   
  
"She is with someone that you haven't met yet, Caius." Watson explained, keeping his eyes forward. Caius blinked and then shrugged his shoulders, deciding to make nothing of the news. He would see about it when he and his group arrived at the airport. For now, it was time to enjoy ride and think about the upcoming mission.   
  
A few minutes and idle conservations later, the gang was dropped off at Death City International Airport. Its exterior looked similar to the Academy, featuring black shafts, towers, and spires patterned with white lines. The mask of Lord Death decorating several locations like the apex of the large arches in the entranceway. Azure, transparent window panels were apart the frontal façade, and a large chalkboard-like sign with the words 'Death City International Airport' professionally engraved upon it greeted all visitors.    
  
Inside, the long and bustling main terminal reflected an  _art deco_  style of architecture – a rich blend of concrete grey, metallic silver, and painted reds and blues. The ceiling demonstrated a lattice of bold geometric shapes. A vast number of people walked around, queuing themselves in at the check-in, depositing their baggage at the clearance gates, waiting in the lobby, or visiting newsstands that sold a variety of sundries and souvenir merchandise.  
  
Kid led the team to one of the lines designated for DWMA personnel. Each student presented their school-sanctioned ID, and the receptionist checked them off, permitting further access into the terminal. They were led to a gate, down a staircase, and directly onto the tarmac. A short walk later, and the gang was before the aircraft that would fly them to the Netherlands.   
  
As mentioned by Watson earlier, Claudia was already there and waiting for them, waving at her friends. “Hello, everyone!” She was dressed in a pink and gold, plaid, and sleeveless lolita outfit, a ruffled white dress shirt beneath the vest, and matching knee socks and shoes. Standing with her were the pilots. Their uniform consisted of black slacks, black leather shoes, black suits with the Death City International Airport insignia on the lapel and pilot’s cap, and crimson and golden dress shirts and ties beneath the coat. The man on the left of Claudia was tall with dirty blond hair and sapphire eyes. The man on the right of her was shorter and bore dark brown hair and jade green eyes complemented by black rectangular glasses.   
  
Once everyone came over, Claudia spoke once more. “Everyone. These two gentlemen beside me are my uncles, Roger and Francis Moncharmin.” She introduced them, gesturing to the blonde and brunette respectively.   
  
“Hello.” Francis said genteelly, bowing in respect with some of the students returning it.   
  
“Hello, kids! Thanks for coming!” Roger greeted, eyeing each individual student with welcoming eyes. He saved Caius for last, as this was his first time meeting the boy his brother and sister-in-law took in two years ago, and he remarked, “You must be Caius. It’s good to finally meet ya, kid! Welcome to the family!” Roger held out his hand for a handshake, one which Caius hesitantly returned. “Aw, come here, you!” Roger then pulled Caius into an excessively tight bear-hug, “Yes! I finally got a nephew!” The dirty blonde released a dazed Caius and grabbed him by the shoulders, imagining all that he was about to say, “We can go on adventures, I can teach you to pick up babes. OH! And I get to throw you in a pit of angry monkeys!”  
  
Francis shot a dull look to his brother, “Now, why would you do that?”  
  
“I love monkeys!” Nayumi commented offhandedly.  
  
“Nayumi, stay out of their conversation.” Marcellus ordered.   
  
“I'm just kidding! I won't do that to you!” Roger admitted good-naturedly, chuckling. Caius suppressed the urge to glare at Blackstar and Ragnarok who were busy snickering at his noticeable discomfort.   
  
 _“Why is it that every family involved in the DWMA is so weird?”_  Maka asked herself, thinking about classic examples like her and Kid’s eccentric fathers, Blackstar’s undead adoptive father Sid, and apparently Claudia’s uncle.   
  
Francis sighed irritably and decided to get everyone back on track, seeing as the majority of the children were lost in their own thoughts or idly occupied with something else. “Anyway, let us begin our journey to Holland.” He certainly caught everyone’s attention as they steeled their nerves for the mission coming up ahead, “All aboard.”  
  


* * *

  
In the DWMA, there were many individuals. All of them were divided by many factors, such as social standing, personality, ranking, and curriculum enrollment. There was the Correctional Class and the EAT class. There was a third and final system, the NOT class – those inept at combat, tuning up their skill as Meisters and Weapons.   
  
Right now, all of the Weapons enrolled in the NOT curriculum were sitting in a lecture centered upon basic Demon Weapon skills and roles. The Meisters were allowed to roam campus or Death City in the meantime because they already sat through their version.   
  
In the school dance studio, one person sat by himself as he waited for the dismissal of the Demon Weapons. The wide and spacious room was empty save for this sole person, but he did not mind whatsoever. It allowed peace and a brief reprieve from the craziness. Sitting at one of the side benches was a 17-year-old young man with medium-length, flaky, lavender hair and wisteria eyes. His outfit consisted of a metallic silver, partially-zipped jacket and a white shirt with a pattern of black, horizontal stripes on it. He also wore black denim pants fastened by a chain belt that had a metal pentacle buckle located on the side.  
  
He yawned tiredly as he cycled through pages on his iPad utilizing his finger and the device’s interactive touch-screen surface. “Well, it looks like Autumn and Damon pulled their weight. We got our money back.” He commented. The boy and the mentioned two had spent their weekly stipend, so they had to work part-time to make up for it. Satisfied, he put his iPad on sleep mode and put it inside his jacket’s internal pocket.   
  
“Vincent.”  
  
Vincent blinked in surprise and looked to the side where the entrance to the dance studio was. Standing at the doorway was a relatively tall and slender man with distinct, shaggy hair and stylized glasses alongside a formal manner of dressing. Vincent immediately recognized him as one of his classmates, “Oh, hey, Akane. What’s up?”  
  
Akane walked over and replied, “I was under the impression everyone was gone. Yet, here you are.”  
  
“I’m waiting for Autumn and Damon. You know, as I always do.” Vincent reminded tiredly, rolling his neck in attempt to crack it.   
  
“Then would you like to go to the running track?” Akane requested politely, smiling as he adjusted his glasses, “It would behoove us to warm-up prior to the physical fitness examination later today.” Really, Akane wanted to kill time until Sid gave him a call. They were supposed to go to the Witch Countermeasures Headquarters to discuss something.  
  
Vincent looked down, mulling over the idea. It would provide something to do while he waited. He checked the time on his cell phone and made a decision, “Well, let’s make it quick. They get out in about twenty minutes.”   
  
And so, the two NOT students exchanged their usual clothes for P.E. uniforms. The two gentlemen were currently doing various sketches to get their muscles nice and loose. They agreed on only throwing the discus and doing the pole vault to conserve time and energy.    
  
In the midst of stretching his back as Akane seized a pole, something caught Vincent’s attention. A caterpillar dangled on the edge of a bench he was near. It was desperately trying to weave a chrysalis around itself against the forces of gravity trying to send it to the concrete. Vincent deemed the bench an inappropriate spot for that; many students, intentionally or inadvertently, might crush or knock it off. Kneeling down, Vincent gingerly scooped the caterpillar in his hand, walked over to a bush, and placed it atop a leaf. There, nobody would notice it, and people were much less likely to disturb a bush.   
  
“Because life is worth preserving,” Vincent answered as if someone questioned his action. He smiled as the caterpillar resumed its cocoon-producing ministrations, content that its life would not end prematurely before it could reach adulthood. “Even in a world that is full of conflict right now.”  
  
“Vincent! You’re up!”  
  
The NOT student snapped out of it. Akane had apparently performed his pole vault. Judging from how soundly the high bar stay in place, the NOT prodigy did the exercise almost perfectly. “Coming!” Vincent shouted, immediately sprinting over. He stationed himself near the cushion platform with the pole in both of his hands. He took several steps back and ran forward to gain momentum, stabbing one end of the pole into the space before the platform. He jumped, and the pliable pole began to carry him, projecting him straight to the high bar as Vincent angled his body to ensure he would clear it.  
  
 _Crack._  
  
Vincent croaked feebly as the pole suddenly lost its malleability, resulting in him staying in the same position rather than being pushed farther upward. Akane cringed when Vincent’s face was driven into the high bar, knocking it into the air as he fell onto the cushion. Then, the bespectacled meister noticed the high bar coming down fast while Vincent remained daze on the platform, “Uh, Vincent-!”  
  
 _SMACK!_  
  
“OW, MY FACE!”


	11. Harbingers of Destruction: The Anria

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mysterious but fierce creatures have arisen in Holland, and it is the job of our heroes to take them on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.

**Harbingers of Destruction: The Anria**  
  
A long flight finally ended at the Rotterdam Zestienhoven Airport in the Netherlands. Once everyone was off, Roger and Francis were allowed to commandeer a transit bus and promptly escort the DWMA students to their next destination. On the way, those interested caught glimpses of the passing South Holland landscape in the dusky night. Polders stretched as far as the eye could see amid vast, lush, and wet pastures and fields. The road was irrigated by nearby ditches; a necessary feature as, according to a pamphlet Maka procured at the airport, Molenwaard was about 1.5 meters below sea level.   
  
Soon enough, they arrived in the humble village of Brandwijk. The village consisted of mostly small, geometrically-shaped houses, usually graced with colors of brown or orange, lined in a row to accommodate the many canals present.   
  
“Yaaaaaay! We made it! We made it!” Patty cheered as she twirled around happily. She, and quite a few others, were glad the riding around was finally over.  
  
“Aw, man, I can't believe I forgot my camera.” Tsuji groused, looking at the surroundings with earnest.   
  
“We're not on vacation. We're here strictly for business.” Kid reprimanded.   
  
“He's right. Go kick some butt, and then we'll party.” Roger stated encouragingly.   
  
Soul glanced at the dirty blond man with an arched brow, “'We?'”  
  
“We have business to take care of ourselves over in Kinderdijk.” Francis answered, “Hence why were are here. We were asked by Lord Death himself.”  
  
“Well, anyway, let’s go ahead and begin.” Kid spoke up. Then, he proceeded to distribute special cufflinks to each and every Meister in the group, all of which designed to resemble a skull. “Since we’re splitting up, use these in the event you need immediate backup.” Everyone nodded as the Meisters attached the items to either the cuff or collar of their shirts.   
  
“Alright, now let’s go!” Maka yelled as the Weapons transformed. That done, the Meisters proceeded into different directions. Francis and Roger headed back to the transit bus and began their drive to Kinderdijk.   
  
However, all of their movements were being closely monitored. In a nearby tree, five dark grayish blue hermit crabs were perched along one of its branches. Their shells titled upward, revealing a single large lens extending out from their bodies as the focusing and aperture rings turned, watching them and relaying everything in sight back to their home base.  
  
 _“Surveillance Crabs, spread out and do your mission. Make sure I see everything the DWMA does with the Anria.”_  
  
Hearing their order, the Surveillance Crabs jumped off the tree and scuttled into the adjacent canal, one going in the same general direction as each meister went.   
  


* * *

  
Near the outskirts of the countryside, Kid rode his Beelzebub skateboard at ground level, surveying the surroundings using his advanced Soul Perception. Unfortunately, nothing out of the ordinary was detected. “Tch. No leads.” He said, shutting it off.   
  
“Maybe our target’s not in this part of town.” Liz surmised.  
  
“Or maybe it’s playing hide and seek.” Patty wondered innocently.  
  
"Then let's check somewhere else." Kid said as he swerved around and proceeded to fly northbound, "The mission log did imply these were apparently a new variety of Monsters." That would explain why he was having a difficult time tracking them down. Perhaps their souls were of a different wavelength.   
  
"Does that mean they're super powerful?" Patty inquired.   
  
"Of course, Patty. Why do you think it's a B-rank mission? I just hope I don't beak a nail this time." Liz whined.   
  
Kid rolled his eyes, wishing his partners would be a bit more serious right now. "Well, I don't see us having that many problems—"  
  
 _Thump-thump…_  
  
The young Reaper gasped as he came to a screeching halt, pivoted around, and quickly fired two rounds at the marsh. The loud pop of the pistols and the violent bursts of water startled Liz and Patty. He stared cautiously as the water began to settle from his attack.   
  
"Kid, what's wrong? Did you see something?" Liz questioned, a bit on edge from her meister's sudden action.  
  
"No, but I certainly sensed it." Kid answered, not once dropping his arms as he leered dangerously at the marsh. A foreboding feeling continued to bother the Shinigami. He wasn’t going to let his guard down for one simple fact: "We're being followed."  
  
The water in the marsh began to bubble, followed by wide ripples. Soon enough, something slowly emerged from it. The water splashed violently as it cascaded down the creature’s form, but before its identity was revealed, it suddenly jumped out and over Kid, landing on the ground behind him with a loud thud.   
  
Kid immediately turned around and kept his eyes on it, examining the entity intently. Its body was comprised of a combination of gray, dark green, white, and dark blue colors. Its physical features consisted of a stony and crystalline hide, giving the impression this creature was a living cluster of rocks and minerals. It also bore a single, featureless gray eye right in the middle of its head. In general, the creature resembled a huge shark-like creature, its rocky body sporting razor-like fins. A row of them were stationed along its hunched back, and two jutted out from the wrists of its crablike claws. The grey eye set its sight on Kid and confirmed its prey. The creature opened its large mouth and let loose a vicious and visceral roar, putting its rows of extremely sharp teeth on display for the Grim Reaper and Twin Pistols.   
  
"Well, there it is." Kid commented composedly as Liz shrieked in fear. He held up his guns, aiming at the Anria as it stopped roaring. However, he then noticed something rather interesting about it. Despite its rather unsettling appearance, the Anria was completely symmetrical—the row of fins along its back were perfectly in line, its large tail was straight, and whatever was on one side of the creature was on the other. "My word… it's absolutely perf—"  
  
The Anria swung its tail at blinding speeds. Kid's body was sent flying with little to no resistance at all, propelling him into the marsh with enough force to make him to skip across the surface several times before landing on his face on the solid ground at the other side. The young meister groaned in pain as he corrected his body, now in a sitting position. His senses were put on high alert again when he heard a violent splash, looking up to see the Anria jumping at him from the water this time. Kid aimed his guns once more; however, the position of Anria accentuated its apparently symmetrical body, captivating the Grim Reaper again. "You are such a beautiful cre—"  
  
Kid was silenced by the Anria capturing his face in one of its claws. Slamming him down, the Anria rushed forward and dragged the Shinigami along the ground, leaving a deep trail as it did so, before aggressively throwing him forward with the same concern as one would have tossing away a piece of trash.   
  
" _Kid_!  _What are you doing_?!?!" Liz questioned in outrage.   
  
Kid lied there groggily as he replied, "I-I'm sorry...despite its grotesque appearance, it conveys a symmetrical beauty that speaks out to me."  
  
" _Are you kidding me_?! If you don't fight back, you'll die!" Liz reasoned indignantly. Kid's love for symmetry never ceased to annoy her. It came up whenever it wanted and however it wanted, and that was usually during bad situations like right now.   
  
The Anria stopped in front of the downed Shinigami, rested on its belly, and lifted its tail over its head, curling it around Kid and hoisting him into the air. "I…" Kid groaned, choking on his breath as the Anria tightened its grip. Its tail was also covered his wrist, and the sudden constriction caused Kid's pinky to twitch and pull the trigger of his pistol. The Anria shrieked as the shot blasted off a sizeable portion of its shoulder, forcing it to drop Kid and stagger backwards.   
  
Kid sat up and rubbed his head, coughing a little as he regained his breath. Then, when he looked up to observe his opponent, he noticed the symmetry of the Anria was now gone. The large depression in its shoulder destroyed every chance it had of being absolutely perfect. Kid's golden eyes narrowed viciously and darkly, "You disgusting vermin." He whispered in a raspy tone, holding up his guns and firing. The Anria released a horrid scream as its tail was suddenly and completely shot off of its body.   
  
Liz grinned as she watched the scene unfold as Patty giggled, "Finally he's kicking ass."  
  
"I was actually giving you the benefit of the doubt, seeing your symmetry, but now you're just asymmetrical garbage! In fact, you're worse than the revolting abominations I see under Blackstar's bed!" Kid shouted, seething in rage as he approached the Anria with his pistols still aimed at. The Anria roared in defiance, preparing to launch itself at Kid. " _Don't talk while I’m talking_!" In an instant, the Anria lost its right arm from yet another gunshot. "You disgust me! Die, you hideous insect!" Kid held down the triggers and unleashed a fusillade of gunshots at the creature. "Die, die, die,  _die_ ,  _DIE_!!!!!!!!"  
  
The Anria roared in pain as chunks of its body were blasted off from Kid's onslaught. Turning around, it desperately retreated back to the marsh, managing to return to the water with its life. Kid quickly ran up and continued firing into the marsh, hoping to kill before it could get away. However, a small wave of water came out and drenched Kid, stopping him. The Reaper coughed but quickly opened his eyes, witnessing a trail of rushing water disappearing over the horizon as the Anria swam at speeds exceeding even high-powered speedboats.   
  
"I won't let you get away!" Kid shouted as he summoned his Beelzebub skateboard and swiftly pursued it.   
  


* * *

  
In the quiet village where everyone was asleep for the night, Tsuji and Marcellus were conducting their own investigation. The two were currently stationed on a bridge above a canal. Tsuji leaned against the wooden beams as Marcellus stood in the very middle of it, his eyes closed and hands in pockets.   
  
"Well, I got nothing." Marcellus announced, opening his eyes with a yawn.   
  
"Damn, c'mon now. You sure you can't see nothing?" Tsuji asked critically, "Try your Wavelength Sonar again."  
  
Marcellus sighed. This would be the second and final because he didn’t want to expend more energy. He only relented because Tsuji was a very insistent – or rather, persistent – person. The Demon Bow closed his eyes as his posture slouched, concentrating. Invisible to the naked eye, Marcellus manipulated his own soul wavelength and emitted it in the form of sonar waves with himself as the origin. When a sonar wave came into contact with a foreign entity in the distance, Marcellus could feel the wavelength of that individual bouncing off his own like a sort of echo. However, he knew that the wavelengths were those of the citizens and not any creature or monster.   
  
Marcellus turned off his Wavelength Sonar and shot a dry look to his meister, "Like I said, I got nothing."   
  
Tsuji groaned as he removed himself off the frame of the bridge, "Well, let's get to steppin' then. Gotta use our eyes and ears." He said, leading the way.   
  
"Hooray." Marcellus said sarcastically, following him at his own pace.   
  
They would not get very far.  
  
Tsuji and Marcellus froze mid-step when they heard a loud splash followed by a heavy thud. They whipped around, and their eyes dilated at the sight. Before them was an airworthy creature with a gray and white body. Its rocky and crystalline appearance was accentuated by the large deep blue wings jutting out from its feral body, and a single featureless eye gleamed hungrily at the two males.   
  
Marcellus immediately scampered behind Tsuji, who remarked humorously, "Whatcha tryin' to do, bro? Scare us with that ugly mug of yours?" His response was a hellish screech that only made Tsuji smirk as Marcellus's spine tingled. "Marce, suit up. Default Form."  
  
"Got it!" Marcellus's entire body was cloaked in dark brown light, dematerializing and then rematerializing as a standard mechanical bow that Tsuji then gripped in his left hand.   
  
The Anria released a resonating wail as the spokes on its wings suddenly shot in the form of barbed tentacles. Tsuji grabbed the pullback clip and fired a stream of arrows. The Anria was forced to bat away the arrows but quickly found difficulty in addressing that many at that fast of a rate.   
  
“You’re pressuring it.” Marcellus commented, “Fake it out and get a good shot.” Nodding, Tsuji stopped firing and jumped back. He reset the bowstring and pulled back again, generating another arrow. He launched it and, as soon as it left the bow, Tsuji fired two more back-to-back, all of them aimed straight at the Anria. It folded its wings around its body to block them, but it wound up getting staggered in the explosion that followed.   
  
"You're open, and you are  _so_  mine!" Tsuji shouted gleefully, grinning as he landed and prepared to launch the killing shot.   
  
" _Yahoooooo_!!!!!" Out of nowhere, Blackstar took a great leap over Tsuji and headed straight for the Anria. "Oh yeah! I got you now!" The assassin prepared the blades of his chain-scythe, diving down for an attack.  
  
"What the-?!" Tsuji exclaimed, inadvertently firing his arrow out of shock. The chartreuse arrow whizzed through the air and lodged itself into Blackstar's arm. "Aw, man! I had it!" Tsuji shouted irately, stomping angrily on the ground. Blackstar screaming and writhing in pain seemed of no concern to him.    
  
Ten seconds later, Blackstar hopped to his feet and glared at Tsuji while holding his arm, " _What's the big idea_?!"  
  
Tsuji glared back, static beginning to form between their lines of sight, "'BIG IDEA'?!  _I was shooting the damn monster and you got in the way_!"  
  
" _You need to work on your aim_!" Blackstar retorted as he held up a fist, the static intensifying.  
  
"Bitch please, my aim is on point! You wouldn’t be complaining now if it wasn’t!" Tsuji roared back, trying to defend his capabilities as an archer.   
  
"I could have taken it down easier than you would’ve!" Blackstar responded sharply, forgetting his arm was even shot in the first place. Meanwhile, the static from their glares was now full-blown lightning and virtually palpable to all around.   
  
" _Watch out_!"  
  
Capitalizing on their petty squabble, the Anria snaked its tentacles over to them and wrapped them around the two meisters in an iron-clad grip. Tsuji and Blackstar grunted and cursed as they were hoisted into the air, flailing and struggling to get themselves free.   
  
“These things are tough to break!” Tsuji shouted in panic. The tentacles were pliant and provided no give. Tsuji gasped when he saw the monster beginning to charge up energy in front of its mouth.   
  
Blackstar gritted his teeth, struggling even more. However, after much exertion, the Star Clan boy managed to get one of his arms free as he held onto the chain-scythe for dear life. "Tsubaki, quick! Shuriken Mode!" The chain-scythe glowed yellow before becoming that of a large, light grey, five-point star. Blackstar span the shuriken a bit and then threw it straight at the Anria's face. It was hit, and the energy it was charging up exploded in its face. The Anria released a screech of pain as it released the two boys. When they landed on their feet, Blackstar caught the shuriken and grinned at Tsuji, "You owe me."  
  
Tsuji returned it and replied, "C'mon. Let's put this thing out of its misery." He looked at the bow in his hand and said, "Marcellus, it's time for a little Mode Change. To Longbow Form."  
  
"Tsubaki, Enchanted Sword Mode!"  
  
"Done deal." Marcellus replied as the outline of his weapon form glowed brown. Tsuji then used his free arm to do some small, manual adjustments to Marcellus's Default Form, such as straightening out the limbs of the bow and detaching some of the strings from the pullback clip. Then, the whole thing was enveloped in brown light, and Marcellus converted the rest of his weapon form, addressing the parts Tsuji could not easily do himself. When the glow disappeared, Marcellus now assumed the form of a longbow. The crystal ball remained in the middle of the limbs, which were now almost flat. The pullback clip was located in the middle of a single bowstring. Other, small features on the limbs give it a more metallic appearance.  
  
"Right!" Tsubaki's Shuriken Mode was cloaked in yellow light. When the light shattered, a katana with a black blade and a bandage-wrapped hilt stood in its place. Black sparks crackled all over the sword as the wind around Blackstar started to pick up. With two fingers held up to his face, the Star Clan boy gained black tattoos on his face as he and Tsubaki called upon the power of the Enchanted Sword.   
  
"Let's go!" The Enchanted Sword augmenting his speed, Blackstar rapidly approached the Anria, disappearing and reappearing at regular intervals as he cut off each individual tentacle of the Anria. Each dismemberment forced out an otherworldly screech of pain from the creature as it failed to keep an eye on the fast-moving Blackstar.  
  
Meanwhile, Tsuji slid one of his feet back, adopting a comfortable stance as he hooked his finger in the clip and slowly tugged the string backward. The Longbow Form's metallic design yielded more pullback resistance in exchange for more power in a single shot. "I only got one shot. Gotta make it count." Tsuji whispered as he leaned back and placed most of his weight on his back leg, an arrow of compressed wavelength forming in the longbow. He kept his unblinking chartreuse eyes on the target before him, waiting for the right moment to shoot.  
  
Blackstar severed the last of the Anria's tentacles. Then, he appeared in front of the Anria and delivered a forceful knee to its face. Afterwards, he landed on his hands and flipped himself out of the way, leaving the dazed Anria on display. "Your move!"  
  
Tsuji simply took his fingers off the clip, releasing the arrow. The penetrative power of this particular arrow was enough to completely pass through the Anria, sending parts of its hide into the air. The attack instantaneously blasted off its right wing and left a gaping hole in its body. The force of the arrow sent the Anria off the bridge. Tsuji smirked vainly, knowing most people were incapable of surviving such a well-placed shot, "See? Told ya I had good aim."  
  
"Yeah, yeah." Blackstar brushed himself off as the Enchanted Sword deactivated and turned into a simple Ninja Sword. This caused the black markings on his face to disappear.   
  
"Too bad it's getting away." Marcellus pointed out matter-of-factly, yawning. Tsuji and Blackstar instantly whipped around and saw the Anria flying away. Despite the fact it was missing one wing, it still sustained itself in flight.   
  
"What?! How can that be?! I call straight bull on that!" Tsuji shouted irefully as he started running in pursuit of the Anria.  
  
"The loudmouth midget's right, Tsuji. You need to get back to the shooting gallery and relearn the basics." Marcellus remarked impassively.   
  
" _Whose side are you on_?!" Tsuji shouted, holding up the bow to his face.  
  
"And who're you calling a loudmouth midget?!" Blackstar interrogated, pointing accusingly at the Demon Bow.  
  
"Just saying." Marcellus said candidly as Tsubaki only sighed.  
  


* * *

  
"So far, so good."   
  
Despite her rather soulless tone of voice, Cancer was indeed pleased to see everything unfold in the Netherlands. Both she and Henderson watched the DWMA fight against the Anria and kept an eye on what needed to be tweaked. Though, at the same time, it would seem they underestimated the competence of the DWMA, witnessing how easily Kid, Tsuji, and Blackstar turned the tide under the right circumstances. The same was happening over at a field where Caius and Maka battled another Anria, a snakelike one with a dark blue crystalline frill around its neck and many spiny arms.   
  
"I'm very curious, Lady Cancer," Henderson spoke as he glanced at every video surveillance image on the computer screen, "Why did you select Gladiolus for this?"  
  
"Gladiolus is a special Anria." Cancer answered, never looking at him, "It is actually an aggregate of more than one Anria. It can split apart into individual Anria and recombine whenever necessary. I am trying to gauge the Anria's fighting ability in a one-on-one confrontation and against many. This experiment is supposed to answer a simple question: What size should our army be?"  
  
"Can they handle multiple foot soldiers or can foot soldiers handle multiple of them." Henderson clarified, understanding the rationale behind the decision. He then saw windmills on display in one of the screens, recognizing that as a site in Kinderdijk, and elected to let Cancer know of something he did of his own volition. "Lady Cancer, I also took the liberty of deploying an Anria besides Gladiolus. I believe you codenamed it Gilgamesh."  
  
The silver-haired witch looked at her assistant from the corner of her eyes, still in a state of stoic indifference that she usually projected. Henderson took that as a cue to continue, "The reasoning behind that is that Gilgamesh actually communicated with me and formed coherent words. In fact, I would deign to surmise that is was becoming… more human."  
  
Cancer gave Henderson her full attention. The sheer blankness on her face conveyed how atrociously absurd such a phenomenon was to her. Henderson simply glided his hand across the surface of the mother-computer's keyboard and put the image of Kinderdijk on display proudly. "Watch and observe since you seem unable to countenance the thought."   
  


* * *

  
Kinderdijk was practically the same sight as Brandwijk: a beautifully natural location full of polders and marshes. The village was situated in the Alblasserwaard polder at the confluence of the Lek and Noord rivers. Because of that, a system of nineteen windmills were erected for drainage purposes. These old-style windmills as a result became an icon of Dutch culture and tourism. When people thought of the Netherlands, they usually associated it with windmills.  
  
Francis and Roger scoured this area for any activity. Seeing as the concentration of windmills were the most outstanding features of the area, they decided to start with them until they noticed anything unordinary.   
  
"We've searched seven out of the nineteen windmills so far." Francis announced.   
  
"Hmm." Roger hummed contemplatively, stopping as he cupped his chin.  
  
"Is something wrong?" Francis asked, stopping as well.  
  
"For some reason, it feels like a horror movie. Like those movies in the 60's. In fact, there was one movie where two guys were hunting a monster, and they found it at the windmill. Maybe we're doing something like that!"  
  
Francis stared at his brother blankly, "This is no time for jokes, Roger. And, besides, this is nothing close to what you are talking about. We're facing something very dangerous and powerful, and we need to find the answers to the puzzle." Roger shrugged his shoulders and dropped the subject. Francis looked forward, examining the windmill before them, "Now let's see..." When he checked the apex, the bespectacled man spotted a faint shadow on the top of it. He was going to dismiss it, but then he saw it move. "Up there!"  
  
Roger looked up as well and, even with the dusky sky, he too could tell that shadow was alive, "Hey you!"  
  
"'Hey, you'…says he…" The deep voice was somewhat garbled—a mix between a guttural growl and baritone masculinity. However, it was coherent enough for Cancer and Henderson to understand. Francis and Roger were too far away. "A better question would be…'Hey, who are you?' or 'What art thou?'… I shall tell you. I have lived in this world long…a measly abomination with no emotions, will, intellect, or reason as guides. Now… I have transcended past my brethren…" The shadow straightened up as much as it could; though, most of its features were still indiscernible to Roger and Francis.   
  
The Surveillance Crab in the vicinity focused its lens on it, giving Cancer and Henderson the ability to see it totally. It stood at a staggering seven feet with an oversized arm that matched the physical characteristics of typical Anria. The same could be said about its comparatively smaller legs. However, its other arm seemed to be of the same size as a human being's, having skin color that matched the rest of its body complexion. Bits of its torso possessed similar elements, and what could be assumed to be its head looked like it was in the process of developing. All in all, the best word to describe this creature was ‘abomination.’   
  
"I am… first to bear this distinct privilege… Prepare yourselves, lowly creatures." The monster's voice degenerated into a savage snarl, "For you are now in the presence of the world's strongest Anria, the great and masterful—"  
  
The monster took one wrong step, falling off the top of the windmill and dropping like a rock. Its screaming roar was only silenced when it fell flat on its face. Roger and Francis stared at the scene, unsure of what to make of it. Cancer and Henderson had similar expressions as they watched everything unfold, but the former then casted a questioning look to the latter. "I did not expect this.” Henderson defended himself.   
  
Cancer sighed, turning back to the screen and watching as the Anria gathered its bearings. Despite what was happening, she had to make sense of the situation, using every bit of her intellect and knowledge to come up with a reasonable explanation, "Well, Gilgamesh definitely looks different from its fellow Anria. At the same time, it looks the same but is also obviously incomplete. Just look at it." She almost seem disgusted at the apparent state of limbo the Anria was in, "I cannot fathom why its physical appearance is changing so drastically."  
  
Gilgamesh groaned as it shifted itself back onto its feet, glaring at the windmill in front of it. "Accursed construction…ruining my introduction…Feel my wrath!" Lifting its massive arm, Gilgamesh drove it straight into the windmill. The force of the blow immediately spewed out a cloud of dust and rubble and caused the entire edifice to sway off balance. The façade began to break down, a network of large cracks and abrasions branching out from the point of impact. The windmill creaked as it slowly fell over, landing on its side with a loud crash as water from the marsh splashed out. When the copious amounts of smoke and dust subsided, the destroyed remnants of the windmill lied there.   
  
" _Hey, buddy_!" Roger shouted in an enraged tone at Gilgamesh, "That windmill is part of a world-renowned tourist attraction! You can't just go destroying it to satisfy your temper tantrum!"  
  
Gilgamesh slowly turned around to face the two humans, "I just did." Its voice was becoming more distinguishable and less like a monster. Evidently, being given the opportunity to exercise its newfound ability to speak was bettering its communication skills. Cancer, on the other hand, was genuinely impressed despite her usual demeanor: this Anria was leagues stronger than Gladiolus given how easily it felled that large windmill; and if its voice was any indication, perhaps Henderson's claim that it was becoming more humanoid was not a fallacy. "My name is Gilgamesh… as I was trying to…say."  
  
"It can talk?!" Francis questioned, shocked at the capacity of this abomination.   
  
Roger leaned over to his brother wryly and asked, "Does 'Frankenstein' ring a bell?"  
  
"Not now, Roger!"  
  
"Okay, okay!" Roger looked at the creature and said, "Gilgamesh, was it? We're hunting down strange creatures in this part of the country, and it seems that you are one of them. So we can either do this the easy way or the hard way."  
  
"You were in the wrong place at the wrong time… I would never even dream of shaming my creator…" Gilgamesh replied resolutely, “You humans… stand no chance at humbling the almighty Anria Gilgamesh…"  
  
"Anria, huh? So that's what they're called?" Roger grinned, seeing that a fight was inevitable, "Well then. I guess we'll do it the hard way! Alright, my Technologic Demon Weapon, let's suit up!"  
  
Francis nodded as his whole body was enveloped in blue-green light. Then, he began to digitize himself, and a swirl of pixels and bytes wrapped itself around Roger. Soon, the blue-green mass of data coated Roger's entire being, fitting every contour of his body. The light then shattered to show a rather radical change. The meister-weapon combination unique to Roger and Francis manifested itself in the form of a blue-green, silver, and white suit of futuristic armor. It was complete with pauldrons, shin guards, a bulky breastplate, bracers, and a helmet with a golden visor.   
  
"Quite.. the parlor trick…" Gilgamesh mused, couching down readily.   
  
Roger lifted his arm as the bracer deployed a few barrels, discharging multiple rounds of soul energy at the Anria. Gilgamesh crawled off to the side, avoiding the attack. Roger moved his arm, allowing the shots to continue following it, but the Anria exhibited surprisingly acute reflexes for its size. Gilgamesh came to a stop and dug both of its arms into the ground beneath it. Then, it picked it up and ruptured it, sending a wave of violent earth rushing towards Roger, mud and moisture from the polder flying outward. Acting quickly, Roger activated the boosters located on the back of the armor and flew into the sky to avoid the stream of flying earth.   
  
"Roger," Francis's voice spoke to him electronically inside the helmet, "I've been running scans on it this entire time. As opposed to outright killing it, I think it's best we subjugate it and deliver it to the DWMA center in Rotterdam for research purposes. So that we have a clue of what this thing is and how to address any similar creatures in the future."  
  
"Beat it but don't kill it?" Roger smirked, eyeing the Anria on the ground, "Done deal, Franny."  
  
"Get down here and face me! I demand you!" Gilgamesh released an animalistic roar.   
  
"Since you asked so nicely," Roger unexpectedly dove at high speeds, charging at Gilgamesh and tackling him at full force. They rolled around on the ground, but Roger quickly gained the upper hand, picking Gilgamesh up and slamming it on the ground. Then, he picked it up by the leg and started slamming Gilgamesh about some more while keeping a hold on it. "And now you are property of the DWMA." He quipped, letting go of Gilgamesh as he outstretched a palm. He fired a jet of cool blue liquid at the dazed Anria. It coated its entire body and rapidly congealed, freezing up Gilgamesh and completing the capture.   
  
"Excellent work, Roger," Francis remarked and then told him, "I've already contacted the DWMA base in Rotterdam. They told us to leave Gilgamesh here, and they will retrieve it. We, on the other hand, need to see if the children are finished with their task."  
  
"You got it!" Roger turned around and flew off, leaving the frozen Gilgamesh there for pickup.  
  
 _"Surveillance Crab, you are to remain there and follow Gilgamesh's every movement until we give further orders. Lady Cancer wants to keep a close eye on it."_ came Henderson's voice on the other side. The Surveillance Crab scurried over to the frozen Gilgamesh and hid in a crevice so that it would be taken with the captured Anria.  
  
"And now let us see what Gladiolus has prepared for us.” Cancer stated as the transmission at Kinderdijk shut off and focused on the one that showed Crona confronting yet another Anria back at Brandwijk.   
  


* * *

  
"Hey! Stop right there! It's not nice to hurt people."  
  
"Ugh. And here I thought Maka was an ugly hag."  
  
Crona and Ragnarok stood before an Anria with an animalistic and streamlined posture. Most of its body featured distinct ridges and protrusions. When coupled with its already rocky appearance, those particular features resembled the edges of cliffs. The Anria's single eye was currently glaring at the conjoined pair, making not one sound.   
  
"Please stop terrorizing this place. If you don't, I will have to kill you." Crona threatened, gripping one arm with the other as usual, "Why don't you write a poem instead if you are upset?"    
  
Ragnarok slapped his forehead with its tiny white hand, groaning at how Crona managed to muck up a surprisingly threatening statement. "Crona, just shut up and kill the damn thing." Ragnarok dematerialized into Black Blood and reformed as a sword in Crona's hand. Crona got ready, watching the strange abomination carefully.   
  
The Anria sprinted toward the pink-haired meister swung its claw, but Crona held up the sword to block the attack. The abomination readied its other pair of claws, but swordsman jumped back to dodge. Crona placed the blade against its arm and drew blood. "Bloody Needles." The Black Blood dripped to the ground and subsequently launched itself over to the Anria in the form of many black needles. The Anria was pierced by the Bloody Needles, caught completely off guard by the bizarre use of one's own blood.   
  
"Ragnarok. Scream Resonance." Crona said, holding up the sword.   
  
The mouth on the base of the sword smirked evilly and then opened up. "Peee-Yooww!!!" Ragnarok released his soul wavelength in the form of a booming sound wave. The horrible screeching echoed throughout the area, travelling along the majority of the road they were on. It disoriented the Anria, roaring as it shifted uncontrollably and uncomfortably.   
  
"Just a little more, Ragnarok." Crona notified, watching as the Anria slowly lost strength, crouching closer and closer to the ground. When it finally fell weakened to the ground, the screaming ceased. "Okay, now we can—"  
  
" _Peek-a-boo_!"  
  
Out of nowhere, something came crashing down onto the Anria with tremendous force. Immediately, a great big plume of dust and asphalt spewed out into the air, followed by a shower of moisture. Crona's eyes bugged out as the swordsman managed to stay perfectly still despite the shaking ground. When everything settled down, the Anria lied flattened in a crater in the middle of the road.   
  
"Great job, Rowena! You got it!" Nayumi said giddily as Rowena jumped out of the crater, resting the large sledgehammer across her shoulders.   
  
Rowena had a small smirk on her face as she admired her work. Then, she heard someone squeak feebly and turned around to see Crona standing there awkwardly. "Oh, hey, Crona. What’s good?" She greeted nonchalantly.   
  
"You stole our kill, that's what’s  _not_  good!" Ragnarok shouted in outrage, "Who the heck are you supposed to be?! The Incredible Hulk?!"  
  
Nayumi's reflection appeared on the head of the sledgehammer as she blinked with a titled head, "Wait, so that loud noise was you two?"  
  
"Ain't nobody else around here. Kill-stealers." Ragnarok growled.   
  
Nayumi stuck her tongue out, wobbling it and blowing a raspberry. "Finders, keepers; losers, weepers!"   
  
"Why you little prick! Come out here and say that to my blade!" Ragnarok demanded, multiple veins popping alongside the length of his weapon form.   
  
Rowena snickered at the interaction, very much amused by it. Crona only sighed, deciding to look elsewhere and something immediately caught its attention. "Hey!" Crona exclaimed, pointing over Rowena's shoulder.   
  
The Sledgehammer Meister whipped around and looked at what alarmed Crona. There were several beings similar to the one they just fought approaching the crater, dragging their horribly deformed and misshapen bodies. The group included a winged creature missing a wing, a shark-like one that looked like Swiss cheese, and a snakelike one whose frill threatened to fall off along with most of its skin. Their growls were more like guttural gurgling, obviously suffering from their injuries.   
  
They positioned themselves around the crater where their fallen brethren lied. Jerking their heads forward, their eyes popped out with no resistance at all, rolling into the crater and toward their fellow Anria. That Anria weakly opened its mouth and ate all of the eyes in one chomp. Once that was done, all of the Anria congregated into the crater as a faint grey light abruptly came into view.   
  
Crona and Rowena choked on their next breath as a great amount of pressure suddenly built up in the area. The light continually flashed inside the crater, accompanied by the gut-wrenching sounds of rocks breaking and bones cracking. 'Were they eating each other?' was the question that immediately came into the meisters' minds, and that made their stomachs churn.   
  
However, all such imagery went out the door when the grey light started to become brighter. Then, the glowing mass within the crater began to exponentially grow in size and change in form. Crona's and Rowena's eyes dilated in shock when this mass reached the point where it towered above them, casting a huge shadow down upon the land. As it continued to grow, they thought its peak was going to touch the sky.   
  
When the light faded, a monstrous Anria titan stood in its place. It combined characteristics of all of the Anria Crona and Rowena just saw. It was a legless entity, rooted to one spot by its sizeable base. Its arms exhibited spines of varying length and sharpness; its upper arms were thin and gradually increased in diameter with its lower arms being thicker. Its main body was composed entirely of rough, uneven stone and crystals, resembling precipices. A good number of those uneven rocks and crystals possessed distinct faces that lacked eyes, more than likely the faces of the other Anria. Its head, other than its gargantuan size, was its most outstanding feature. It was roughly domical in shape with crystalline crests and spikes decorating it, accentuated by the large, featureless eye that rested in the middle of it.   
  
This was Gladiolus.   
  
"W-W-What the hell?!" Rowena shouted, completely taken aback the sudden appearance of this monster.   
  
"N-No way! It got bigger!" Crona remarked, shuddering with apprehension.   
  
Gladiolus slowly raised one of its arms and threw a punch. This prompted Rowena to get in front and swing the sledgehammer at the right moment. The two attacks collided with a thunderous bang; however, Rowena almost lost all of her balance as she skidded backwards.   
  
"It's a good thing… my weapon form is durable." Nayumi grunted, feeling the impact. Gladiolus, instead of going for another punch, lifted its hand and slammed its palm straight onto Rowena, driving her into the ground. It was as easy for it as stepping on a bug. " _Rowena_!”   
  
" _Crona_! Don't just stand there like an idiot! Call for help! Attack!  _Do something_!" Ragnarok barked harshly.   
  
"R-right!" Crona pressed the cufflink and activated the help signal. The cufflink glowed and shot something into the air. At a high enough altitude, it exploded and projected a ghostly, wispy Lord Death insignia. It was expansive enough for all of Brandwijk to see, ensuring that aid would see it and come. Crona then saw Gladiolus setting its sight on it. Crona prepared to attack, “Please stop attacking us! You’re gonna die horribly if you keep this—”  
  
Gladiolus flicked Crona away.   
  
Rowena recovered from being pressed into the ground and saw that Gladiolus was now assaulting Crona. "You must think you all that now, huh?" She mumbled to herself, glaring at the Anria titan as she stood back on her feet. "Nayumi, we gotta use Mode Change." Rowena said as she flipped over the sledgehammer and placed a hand on the hammerhead.   
  
"Okey-dokey! Resonate with me!"   
  
The two girls conducted a Soul Resonance, their mixing wavelengths causing the sledgehammer to glow a bright magenta color. Then, Rowena twisted the hammerhead a full 180 degrees to activate the alteration in form. The light then concentrated at the tip, causing the shell of interlocking plates to detach as the blunt and rounded ends receded into the resulting space. The light continued to engulf this end, giving the appearance of a flaming ball.   
  
"Meteor Hammer!" Rowena rushed over to where Crona was, took a leap, and swung as the light intensified, spewing out from the back like a rocket in order to give her swing more force behind it. The impact was strong enough to abate Gladiolus's arm, flinging it to the other direction.  
  
"It's official. I'm calling you 'The Incredible Hulk' from now on." Ragnarok remarked, partly because he did not bother to remember her actual name. Rowena deadpanned as the Soul Resonance between her and Nayumi dropped, causing the sledgehammer to transform back to its default state.   
  
"Not now, Ragnarok! Here it comes!" Crona shouted distressfully, using the sword to point at their immensely-sized enemy.  
  
Gladiolus decided to change up tactics. Instead of using its massive arms, size, and strength like it had been doing, it began charging up some energy in the faces located on some of the uneven rocks. Rowena and Crona prepared themselves for whatever was next. Then, suddenly, they felt a very brisk rush of wind pass over them and looked to see Kid blazing in out of nowhere on his skateboard. He performed a sort of kick-flip to gain enough altitude as he aimed his guns.   
  
"Sanzu River Shot!" Three resounding bangs were heard as Kid shot a trio of powerful blasts in quick succession. With pinpoint accuracy, the Sanzu River Shot destroyed the energy that Gladiolus was charging up, thankfully doing so before it was discharged. Kid landed on the ground as Beelzebub disappeared, turning to Rowena and Crona, "Everyone all right?”  
  
"Where the hell have you been?!" Ragnarok demanded rudely.   
  
Before Kid could calmly reply, Tsuji too came blazing in out of nowhere and rammed straight into his sister without a care in the world. " _I win_!" He declared loudly as the eyes of Crona and Kid widened.   
  
Blackstar ran up literally two seconds afterwards while pointing accusingly at Tsuji, "No fair! You cheated!" Apparently, the two boys decided to race to the S.O.S. spot, and Tsuji managed to win by a hair. Noticing everyone else present, Blackstar pointed a finger to the sky and boasted, " _I’m here, everyone, to save the day_!”  
  
"Hey, Einstein, you just trucked your sister." Marcellus spoke up in a sardonic tone, his profile appearing on the crystal ball of his Default Form.  
  
Tsuji blinked, "Did I?"  
  
" _Yes, you did, ya dumbass_!" Rowena yelled, shooting up to her feet and glaring at her brother with blank, white eyes and sharp teeth.   
  
Tsubaki's reflection appeared on the blade of the right-hand chain-scythe, "Is everyone okay?"  
  
"Looks like it," Liz commented, "Now all we need is—"  
  
"Guys!" On cue, Maka came running up with Caius trailing behind her, "We saw the signal!"  
  
"And now we're complete." Patty remarked in her usual singsong tone of voice.   
  
Soul's reflection appeared on the blade of the scythe as he peered at Gladiolus, "Whoa. How did we  _not_  see that giant thing over there?"  
  
"It just came up." Nayumi answered.   
  
"Me and Crona were fightin' this one creature and beat it. Then, all of a sudden, here come several more, and then THIS thing pops out from 'em." Rowena explained; her tone suggested to her comrades that it was a 'you would have to see it to believe it' type of deal.   
  
"In that case, we finally found out target." Maka said, getting serious. She quickly glanced at Gladiolus and immediately figured out the best plan of action to handle it. "Here's the deal. Kid and Crona will attack it from the sky since you two can fly. Tsuji, Blackstar, and Rowena, you three attack it from the middle. Caius and I will stay down here and attack the bottom. Got it?"  
  
Everyone nodded resolutely, sharing Maka's seriousness. Before them was the newest threat to the world, and it was their duty as students of the DWMA to eradicate it. Maka twirled the scythe above her head and swung it so that the blade was near the ground, Kid spun the guns on his pinkies before aiming at Gladiolus, Blackstar raised two fingers to his face as the Chain-Scythe became the Enchanted Sword, Crona simply held the sword up like a knight sizing up its next target to smite, Caius span the lance above his head using one wrist as the center of its rotation, Tsuji tossed the bow into the air and, when it landed in his hands, immediately engaged in an archer's stance, and Rowena swung the sledgehammer twice before holding it in front of her in a kendo stance.   
  
" _Let's go_!" Maka shouted, charging in headfirst with everyone else following their leader. Kid summoned Beelzebub one last time and jumped on it, the skateboard immediately activating its rockets and hoisting him into the air. Two wings composed of Black Blood burst out of Crona's back, giving the swordsman the ability to fly after the Reaper.   
  
"Yo, Sis, hit me!" Tsuji ordered, performing an athletic leap over Rowena as a cue. Promptly, Rowena swung the sledgehammer at the same time that he landed on the hammerhead, rocketing Tsuji toward one of the arms of Gladiolus. Even with the rushing wind hitting him in the face and the high altitudes, the feeling of danger made Tsuji holler with exhilaration as he successfully landed on one of the arms.   
  
"Gimme a boost too!" Blackstar demanded, and Rowena gave the Star Clan boy the same treatment, sending him over to the other arm. Both Tsuji and Blackstar braced themselves and stood their ground as Gladiolus lifted its arms and swatted them downward, trying to hit Kid and Crona as they flew up to its face. That failed, but the three remaining Meisters on the ground were faced with the gigantic limbs coming to them now.   
  
"I got this!" Rowena declared confidently to Maka and Caius. "We need a better Mode Change, Nayumi!"   
  
"Right-o!"  
  
The two females again resonated as Rowena grabbed the blunt end and pulled it out, causing the interlocking plates to stretch. The light from their resonance coalesced into a sort of blade extending from the blunt end of the hammerhead. When everything finished, the hammerhead was now a giant, medieval-style axe. "Broadax!" Rowena swung the converted weapon, dragging it across the ground as it gained momentum. When she completed the swing, a giant gash was left in the palm of Gladiolus's hand with Broadax still jammed into it. Gladiolus released a hollow roar of pain as it pulled back its arms, bringing with Rowena up with them.  
  
"Alright, Caius," Maka spoke up, "While it's distracted, we're using Joint Resonance!"  
  
"Right!"  
  
"Let's go, Joint Resonance!" Repeating the same thing as they did in Venice, Maka and Caius generated soul barriers around them as strands of energy leaked out and connected. The process went by much more smoothly now that the involved teams already did it once. Thus, Venator Malorum activated with no problem at all. With that finished, they swooped into action in order to tackle their given task.   
  
Back up top, Kid and Crona were faced with taking care of Gladiolus's head. The crown-like of crystalline spikes and crests generated electricity and unleashed it at both meisters, trying to shoot them out of the sky. Kid maneuvered past each bolt while launching gunshots. Crona did the same, firing Bloody Needles and Bloody Slicers whenever appropriate to try and cause some damage. None of their attacks seemed to do anything, not even inconveniencing it.   
  
"It looks like we're going to need to try something different." Kid suggested, dodging more streams of electrical energy. "Go, Soul Resonance! Execution Mode!"  
  
"Ragnarok. Scream Resonance."  
  
As the two airborne meisters suited up, the Ricardsen Twins and Blackstar tended to the middle portions of Gladiolus, dodging energy lasers that threatened to blow them away and send them to the very distant ground. It was a good thing their weapon partners were durable enough to deflect a good number of the lasers since constantly dodging would inevitably cause them to slip off the edges.  
  
"Time to tenderize your ugly ass!" Rowena evaded another laser as she swung the sledgehammer, destroying one of the rocks that contained a face using nothing more than sheer physical strength.   
  
"Marcellus, Javelin Form!" Tsuji shouted and initiated another Mode Change by pushing the limbs of the Default Form inward to make a triangular blunt edge. All the compressed strings helped create a metallic, stylized blade. In the middle of the blade edge was the characteristic crystal ball and from it extended a long, dark blue shaft. "Meteor Javelin!" Tsuji flipped over another laser and threw the javelin to another one of the rocks. Once the javelin jammed itself into the surface, it detonated and exploded in a burst of white and blue light. The damage done, the javelin reappeared in Tsuji's hand.   
  
"Shadow☆Star!" Blackstar shouted with exertion, holding up two fingers up to his face in his typical ninjutsu stance. Tsubaki meanwhile closed her eyes and concentrated, beginning to possess her meister's shadow. As a result, it darkened to the deepest shade of black. Then, Tsubaki subsequently formed it into a whip-like entity. Blackstar roared with effort as they manipulated it, landing multiple crushing blows on the two remaining faces and slicing off chunks of rock and crystal. When Blackstar and Tsubaki ceased using Shadow☆Star, craters were left in the body of the beast.   
  
Gladiolus felt pain emanating from its sizeable torso and tried to bring its arms up to address the three meisters attacking that specific location. However, it hunched over slightly when it felt the same sensation at its base. Presently, Caius and Maka were delivering fierce blows with their transformed weapons, leaving severe lacerations in the wake of their assault. It looked down to them and prepared to the strike the ground to get rid of them.  
  
Too bad it forgot about Kid and Crona.  
  
"Death Cannon."  
  
"Screech Alpha."  
  
From two different spots, a duo of powerful projectiles zoomed through the air. One was a bright, huge ball of energy, and the other was a black and purple monstrous-looking attack. The two blasts hit Gladiolus’s eye and exploded. The Anria titan released an agonized roar, one much more pained and realistic than before, bringing up its hands up to where its damaged eye was. Gladiolus's crown-like frill of spikes and crystals short-circuited, releasing erratic flashes of electricity. A chain reaction of smaller explosions occurred on various spots on its body with its eyes still suffering damage even after the initial explosion.   
  
"Aaaand that's our cue to bail!" Rowena yelled, feeling the rumble of the explosions and roaring. Tsuji and Blackstar nodded in agreement, and three of them saw Crona and Kid descending to their level. They jumped off Gladiolus's body with the Ricardsen Twins grabbing a hold of Crona and Blackstar landing perfectly on Beelzebub's available space.   
  
Caius and Maka deactivated Venator Malorum and hurried away from the site as far as possible with Crona and Kid following them. A giant explosion slightly shook the land as Gladiolus was consumed by a massive fireball of light and heat. Once faraway enough, the team of meisters turned to see the Anria titan's flaming corpse beginning to tip over.  
  
" _Timbeeeeer_!!!" Tsuji, Rowena, Ragnarok, Nayumi, and Patty shouted as Gladiolus finally fell over with a heaven-shaking thud. The small amount of trees in the way were crushed under the immense weight of the Anria, and a good portion of the road and ground depressed from the crash. Darkness consumed Gladiolus and unraveled, leaving no trace of the monster other than the destruction left behind by its death. Everything was calm once again.  
  
"We did it!" Tsubaki and Caius exclaimed happily.  
  
Maka wiped the sweat off her brow in a relief, "Phew! Good work, everyone!"  
  
"Aw yeah! We kick butt!" Patty said enthusiastically as she and the rest of the Demon Weapons reverted back to their normal human forms. The younger Thompson then noticed something slightly glowing in the sky falling toward them. "Oh, look! Falling star!" She beamed, pointing to the object.   
  
Everyone looked at what Patty was talking about, and it most definitely was not a falling star. Rather, it was the soul of the Anria. When it was close enough, everyone circled around it to examine it.   
  
"That's strange. I have never seen a soul like this one." Maka commented. In contrast to the red color of an Evil Human or Kishin Egg, the blue of a normal person, and the purple of a Witch, this one in particular was a sickly, ashen grey.  
  
"It looks gross. I'm not eating that." Soul grimaced.   
  
"Nobody's eating it. Part of our mission was to bring something back for my father to analyze." Kid reasoned as he held up one of his hands. He performed a quick Konso, pulling in the Anria Soul into the sleeve of his outfit for safekeeping.  
  
"Looks like we're ready to head back to Death City in that case." Liz said, crossing her arms.   
  
Claudia pulled out her cell phone as she told everyone, "Okay. Just let me go ahead and call—"  
  
"We're here!"  
  
The young students nearly jumped out of their skin when Roger popped out of nowhere behind them with Francis standing off to the side with a blank look on his face.   
  
"There's no need to be jumpy. It's just us." Roger replied obliviously.   
  
"Uncle Roger, you surprised us!" Claudia reprimanded, stomping her foot on the ground.   
  
"Sorry about that, but I see you all completed the mission. Good job, kids." Roger said, flashing them a grin and a thumbs-up.   
  
"Now let's hurry and return. The jet is waiting for us at the airport." Francis said urgently.   
  
Today was enough excitement and adventure, so everyone wanted to get some much-needed rest back home at Death City and prepare for the next rousing day of school. Though, many questions irked the group. What exactly were the Anria? Were they a new breed of Monsters or Kishin Eggs? Were they even that? Why were they trying to terrorize the world?  
  
Only time would tell. But, for now, they had their daily lives to look forward to.   
  


* * *

  
"With one excepted, the remaining Surveillance Crabs return to base immediately."  
  
The images displayed on Cancer's mother-computer all blackened out as she turned away from it. Henderson watched her carefully as he stressed, "It seems we found our answer: foot soldiers can handle multiple of them." While Cancer remained unresponsive, Henderson knew better, given how she immediately went to another computer in the sanctuary and started typing on it. She had come to that conclusion before he even articulated it. Those child soldiers easily beat the parts of Gladiolus, and that one armored human took care of Gilgamesh even quicker. However, she did notice Gladiolus worked well as a unit.  
  
"Then, Henderson, it is time to put everything aside and double, or even triple, our work efforts on the Anria." Cancer stated, pulling up information on the computer that about the Anria, such as how many they had, their composition, and other miscellaneous data. She grimaced at their total, foreseeing this number dropping quickly given the scope of her plan.   
  
"Then we've no time to waste, Lady Cancer. Let's begin posthaste." Henderson suggested eagerly. The Anria were much easier to address than  _00000Ω_  as long he himself played a very productive role; both he and Cancer knew that.   
  
Cancer closed her eyes and spoke longingly, "Yes, it will only be a matter of time before we end this world of lies."


	12. A Method to the Madness: A NOT So Normal Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsugumi, Anya, and Meme get some help to go on a dog-catching mission. Simple, right? NOT!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.

**A Method to the Madness: A NOT So Normal Encounter**  
  
_Month 1, Week 2, Day 5 (Friday, January 12th)_  
  
It was no secret that Professor Franken Stein was notoriously efficient when it came to grading tests, more often than not having them scored by the following day. Today was no exception. Like the rest of the instructors in the DWMA, Stein posted the exam grades on the bulletin board for all of his students to see. Either the weekend was going to be pleasant, or it was going to be ruined.   
  
"It's crowded." Soul pointed out as he and Maka approached the dwindling crowd around the bulletin board.  
  
"Oh, that's right!" Maka exclaimed, remembering something, "C'mon, Soul, let's how we did on yesterday's test!"  
  
"I'd rather not." The Demon Scythe replied insistently. However, Maka was one of those who did not accept 'no' for an answer, especially when it came to academics, and Soul suddenly found himself being dragged over by his enthusiastic friend. When they got there, two people they knew were already up there. "Hey, look. It's Ox and Harvar."  
  
True enough, Maka's intellectual rival and his Demon Spear stood before the board. The ashy blonde narrowed her green eyes as she walked up beside Ox and mumbled, "Ford."  
  
Ox looked at Maka from the corner of his opaque glasses, the eyes behind them boring into Maka's temple, "Albarn."  
  
"So, how did you do?" Maka asked, getting straight to the point.    
  
"I successfully procured a 94 on what many considered to be a difficult test. As that is still an A, it does nothing to deter my already perfect GPA." Ox boasted proudly. Harvar and Soul quietly stood off to the side. They could feel the academic tension between Maka and Ox as they always could. The Spear Meister adjusted his round spectacles as he then asked, "What about you? It's only common courtesy to tell me yours."  
  
"One second." Maka tore her eyes away from Ox to look at the posted scores.  
  
_Maka Albarn: 100_  
  
A giant smirk appeared on Maka's face. "HA! Read it and weep, Ox! I win this time!" She yelled pridefully, pointing to the grade so that her academic rival could get an eyeful.   
  
"W-W-What?!" Ox exclaimed in total disbelief. Soul could not contain his snickers. Ox's gaping mouth and drooping "pillars," as he called them, were too funny of a sight. Too bad he couldn’t see his eyes.   
  
Also walking up was Caius. He was like many of the other students in the Crescent Moon, unsure of how exactly he performed but also confident he did as good as he thought. "Yo, what's all that noise?" A voice questioned irritably behind the Lance Meister. Apparently, the commotion did not go unheard of by other people. Caius turned around to see Tsuji, Rowena, Marcellus, and Nayumi walking up to him.  
  
The Vladingham shrugged his shoulders, “Probably reactions to the test.”   
  
"How you think you did, Caius?" Tsuji inquired.   
  
"Well, let's hope I did great. I studied extensively." Caius answered.  
  
"Nerd." Rowena quipped. Caius shot a dry look at her. Snickering at his expression, the orange-haired girl then said, "I already know we bombed that stuff. Now we're just tryin' to see who out of us four got the highest."  
  
"Yeah cuz the Old Man told us whoever got the highest test averages each month will get money." Tsuji clarified, grinning widely as he rubbed his palms together, relieving the itch for money in them, "And I got my sights on some video games I want~"  
  
"Uh, yeah. I see." Caius replied unsurely. He always thought getting good grades or high test averages were the obligations of a student period. He didn’t understand why they needed an incentive. He turned away from them and continued walking only to stop when he was spoken out to again.   
  
"Yo, hold up, bro! Ain't got nothing else to say except 'Uh, yeah, I see'?" Tsuji inquired, mimicking Caius's voice for the last part. Rowena and Nayumi were also staring at him curiously, expecting him to be more articulate.   
  
"Sorry. I'm… bad at this." Caius replied, rubbing the back of his head. Traces of his old mindset still lingered and, thus, some of his old habits too. After all, Claudia, Maka, and Soul were the only people he managed to have a decent conservation with.  
  
"You get out much?" Tsuji, Nayumi, and Rowena questioned, already taking note of the signs of antisocialness Caius was expressing. The blunette only sighed resignedly in response. They didn't know the truth.  
  
"I mean, if you wanna hang out in the mall this weekend or something, just give us your number." Tsuji offered.   
  
"We don't bite." Rowena added in, crossing her arms.   
  
"Well… okay." Caius conceded. He, the Ricardsens, and their partners proceeded to exchange their cell phone numbers. Caius saw no harm in doing so. Plus, this action was in conjunction with the promise he made himself in Venice – putting his faith and trust into the people who wanted to befriend him. Besides, he saw what Tsuji and Rowena did to Gladiolus. They were capable individuals.   
  
Then, after they swapped numbers, a brief but catchy electronic jingle played on Caius's cell phone, signifying that he received a text message. He saw Tsuji and Rowena freeze up as if they recognized the tune and that made Caius expect the worst. "Dude, is that the Power Rangers communicator sound?" Tsuji and Rowena asked, smirks appearing on their faces as if they were going to burst out laughing any second now.   
  
"Maybe." Caius replied succinctly, turning away as he read the text message. He didn’t want them to see the embarrassment on his face. He couldn’t help it if Power Rangers was his favorite childhood show. The message was from Claudia, saying that she was in the bathroom combing her hair and would be there in a second. "E-Enough of that," he spoke up again, hearing them snicker uncontrollably as Nayumi hummed the show's classic theme song, "Let's go see what we made."  
  
"Oh, snap!  _Move_!" The Ricardsen Twins blew past Caius, sending him to the floor, and sprinted toward the bulletin board, ramming into Maka and Ox without a care in the world as Soul's eyes bugged out in shock. Nayumi burst out laughing at the sight as Marcellus slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand.  
  
_Tsuji Ricardsen:69  
Rowena Ricardsen: 65_    
  
" _Yeeeeeah_!  _Get some, Sis_!" Tsuji shouted raucously, throwing mocking pelvic thrusts over to his sister.   
  
"You know what?! Forget you!" Rowena glared at her brother with blank eyes and sharp teeth. Then she projected this same angered expression to the bulletin board, imagining her teacher in its place, " _And forget you too, Stein_!  _Screw you and your hard-ass test_!"  
  
"Two Ds aren't something to be proud of." Soul and Harvar said matter-of-factly as they helped up their groggy meisters.   
  
Caius, Marcellus, and Nayumi walked up to the bulletin board as Rowena and Tsuji stepped off to the side to continue bantering.   
  
_Caius Vladingham: 88  
Marcellus Ardsen: 88  
Nayumi Ardsen: 50_  
  
The lance technician expressed his frustration at not receiving an A like he presumed by slamming his head against the glass of the bulletin board. "Haha. Looks like you're not as smart as you think you are~” Nayumi taunted playfully.   
  
Caius shifted his head so that he could send her a blank glare. "And it looks like you're the only one who 'bombed' your test."  
  
"Not my fault those questions were hard!" Nayumi responded defensively, "So, I decided to make it worthwhile by turning it into a hat after I gave up."  
  
"Will you two calm down? It's not that serious." Marcellus requested with a heavy sigh.  
  
Nayumi then pointed accusingly at the older teen, "So how did you get an 88?! I thought you didn't study!"  
  
Marcellus crunched down his lollipop and spat out the naked stick, reaching into his jacket to retrieve another one as he replied nonchalantly, "I didn't." Nayumi pouted with a huff, wondering how on Earth was that possible. Caius's self-esteem dropped, wondering how on Earth someone who didn’t study managed to match his score.  
  
At this time, Claudia walked up and heard the three speaking. “Who didn’t study?” She asked curiously. She wore the canary yellow dress she purchased at Ireland. Nayumi pointed at Marcellus while Caius pointed at his test score to show what the conversation was about. Claudia looked at him, jealous, and patted Marcellus on his leg. “You have a gift. Please cherish it.”  
  
“Uh, right.” Marcellus rubbed the back of his head. “Nice dress, by the way.”  
  
“Thanks for noticing.” That aside, Claudia went aside to the more important matter at hand. She looked up to the bulletin board to see her score. She didn’t have high hopes since her test anxiety got a hold of her. She just hoped it was high enough to stave off a lecture from her father Claude.   
  
_Claudia Moncharmin: 12_  
  
Claudia’s jaw dropped as abject despair appeared on her face. She lost all of her color and her spirit as reality settled in. She did even more pitifully than the last time. This was horrible. She had no powers, and she hadn’t the ability to score well on examinations. Caius, Marcellus, and Nayumi noticed Claudia had essentially transformed into a statue. They all got curious and checked out her grade for themselves.   
  
Marcellus whistled, seeing the very low grade. Caius slapped his hand over his mouth to prevent himself from saying anything out of line. “Better not let Tsuji or Rowena see that.” Nayumi whispered softly to Claudia. From experience, she knew they wouldn’t let her hear the end of it. She nudged her, but it felt like she really did poke a stone statue. “I think she’s broken, guys.”  
  
Finally, Claudia reacted, but not with words or hysterics. She slowly walked over to the nearest corner and sat in front of it. She was so depressed that it seemed like the area around her turned black and blue. Caius, Marcellus, and Nayumi simply watched on, wondering how heck could someone be so sad the air around them changed colors. “Yeah, uh, I’d better take this.” Caius excused himself to go console her.  
  
" _Yahooo_!!! What's up, everybody?!" Blackstar came running up, stopping only when he was in the center of everybody. Tsubaki caught up to him, trying to catch her breath. He then noticed Claudia sitting in a corner with Caius next to her. "What's wrong with her?"  
  
“Claudia got a 12 on her test.” Nayumi announced impulsively. Marcellus shoved her, and she realized her mistake too late as she covered her mouth.  
  
...  
  
...  
  
...  
Blackstar fell on his back as he laughed uncontrollably. “A 12?!  _Really_?! Damn, Claudia! Even  _I_  could do better than that!  _You’re so dumb_!” Blackstar's comments made Claudia fall deeper into a pit of depression.   
  
"Blackstar!" Tsubaki reprimanded, glaring at him in disapproval. Now he was just being inconsiderate. "Alright, fine, let's see how  _you_  did!" Even though the Shadow Weapon knew Blackstar actually studied for exams, his abysmal scores suggested otherwise.    
  
"Of course! I'm awesome  _and_  smart!" The Star Clan boy boasted as he and Tsubaki checked their scores.   
  
_Black☆Star: 13  
Tsubaki Nakatsukasa: 89_  
  
“Sorry to break your heart, Tsubaki, but he technically did better.” Marcellus stated, rolling the lollipop’s stick between two fingers.   
  
"Ha! See?! What I tell ya!" Blackstar yelled obliviously, pointing up to the ceiling victoriously. Unable to deal with his incredible stupidity, Tsubaki fell over onto her face, her limbs in a twisted mass above her.  
  
She kept her emotions in check this whole time, but that was the final nail on the coffin for Claudia. " _I’m garbage_!  _A failure_!  _Failure_!!!!" Claudia screamed, repeatedly knocking her head into the wall to vent out her overwhelming frustration.   
  
Around this time, Kid, Crona, and their partners came up as well. Claudia was the first thing they noticed among the crowd. "Oh great, another Kid." Liz sighed miserably, ignoring the dry look Kid shot at her.   
  
Caius pulled Clauda into a hug in hopes of cooling her down and to stop her from trying to split her head open. "Rest assured, Claudia, we  _will_  try to improve your scores so something like this won't even happen again!" The lights in the hallway dimmed down with only one shining down upon the two like a spotlight.   
  
"Hey, who cut out the lights?! Turn ‘em back on!" Kilik demanded, unable to see his grade.   
  
Out of nowhere, a violin played a slow, sad melody. "But why? Why me? Am I cursed by a Kishin who wants me to fail? Or am I really just a dumb blonde? Caius, I don't want to be a dumb blonde." Claudia said, looking up to him as her teal eyes shined with freshly forming tears.   
  
"Where’s that music coming from?" Liz questioned, looking around to spot the source of the sound.   
  
"You are  _not_  a dumb blonde, Claudia!" Caius objected, standing up and holding up a clenched a fist. "You are shining, radiant, golden blonde who is just going through a phase right now. Pretty soon, you will blossom into the smartest, most beautiful blonde in the Academy!"  
  
Kim and Jacqueline cried uncontrollably, covering their mouths with handkerchiefs as they said in unison, “This is so touching!” It was like they were watching their favorite soap opera.  
  
Claudia gasped dramatically as she looked up to Caius. He smiled encouragingly as he stood up and held out a hand to her. She grinned as she took his hand and rose to her feet, now pumped-up. “Okay! I'm motivated to do better now! Next test, I will get a higher score and master the art of taking test!”  
  
“That’s the ticket!” Caius shouted excitedly, pumping a fist as the spotlight brightened up around Claudia.   
  
"Aww. Tsuji, let's play them a tune from the world's smallest violins." Nayumi suggested.  
  
"Word." Nayumi and Tsuji took out their iPhones and rubbed their fingers upon the screen, tending to something.  
  
Kid shot them a dry look, "Could you two be a bit more considerate?" They weren’t even rubbing their fingers together like they were supposed to.   
  
"We are." Tsuji defended, looking at the Shinigami oddly.   
  
"We're using the World's Smallest Violin app on our iPhones." Nayumi added in as they showed Kid the screens of their devices with an extremely small violin displayed on each of them. They ran their fingers across the screen, and the small violins played a quiet tune barely audible due to the other music seemingly coming out of nowhere. "See?"   
  
“I give up.” Kid started walking to class, leaving his test grade behind.   


* * *

  
One check of the time and everyone hurried to the classroom so they wouldn’t be late and suffer Stein's punishment. However, to their surprise, Noel was the one waiting for them instead of Professor Stein. After all, someone had to watch the Correctional Class since Spirit got removed. He didn’t say a word or even move until everyone had settled in their seats.   
  
"Welcome, class," Noel finally spoke up in his usual dry tone of voice, "Today will be a short class but that’s because you’ll be getting your next and final Joint Resonance assignment." He cleared his throat briefly as the Crescent Moon Class listened up, "This assignment will build off what you've learned recently. You have learned to read your opponents through combat, to use Joint Resonance with someone you probably never resonated with before, and to utilize teamwork. It's time we tie in everything."  
  
He paused in case anyone had any questions. When no hands were raised, Noel kept going, "In many cases in life, you’ll have to team up with someone you would never usually team up with, especially if it is for the betterment of the mission and  _especially_  if you know your target or opponent is stronger than all of you combined. For next week, you will be divided into teams yet again but with different people. You will be utilizing all you've learned in a single comprehensive, cumulative field exam. So be prepared; this one is significantly tougher for that sole reason."  
  
A field exam could be anything, adding a sense of ambiguity into what this final assignment could be. This begged a few questions. Caius raised his hand and asked, "Mr. Ricardsen. What  _exactly_  are we doing, sir?"  
  
"I'm not going to spoil the surprise." Noel answered simply, "Though, I must forewarn everyone. You will be graded more strictly than usual. I want to make sure you all are going to be prepared for the real world. And you must bring your A-game next Friday, the day the field exam will be conducted."   
  
Tense murmurs were heard among the students, more than likely speculation about the true nature of their field exam. Noel picked up the clipboard on the desk behind him and said, "The teams were predetermined by Stein, so listen up. Maka Albarn, Soul Eater, Caius Vladingham, and Claudia Moncharmin."  
  
Maka and Soul had neutral expressions. They weren't expecting any suprises since they had worked together with a large majority of the teams in the class. Caius, on the other hand, looked relieved since this was what he deemed an easy opportunity to compensate for the 88 slipup. Claudia was in la-la-land, for this meant she would be near her love again.   
  
"Death the Kid, Elizabeth and Patricia Thompson, Blackstar, and Tsubaki Nakatsukasa."  
  
_"Well that was strangely convenient."_  Kid thought. Given the premise of the assignment, he found it odd he was collaborating with someone he was already well-acquainted with. While it wasn't often he and Blackstar teamed up for this sort of thing, the two were certainly a powerful force together. Doubly so since this involved both combat and training, two things Blackstar thrived at.  
  
"Ox Ford, Harvar D. Éclair, Crona Gorgon, and Ragnarok."  
  
This was a definite curveball that neither of the named meisters saw coming. Ox usually worked with his teammates Kilik or Kim, and Crona was most comfortable with Maka around. They were going to need this entire week to get prepared.  
  
"Tsuji Ricardsen, Marcellus Ardsen, Kim Diehl, and Jacqueline O'Lantern Dupre…  
  
"Rowena Ricardsen, Nayumi Ardsen, Kilik Rung, and Pot of Fire and Thunder…"  
  
Noel soon finished. Again no more questions were asked. He then announced, "You have the rest of class for yourselves, but I expect you guys to get to work immediately. You only have a week for what's coming so get as much as you can done. Dismissed." Noel gathered his belongings and left Class Crescent Moon, but the students remained so that they could touch base with their teammates, new or old.   
  
"Soul!" Claudia shouted, diving at the Demon Scythe and latching onto his leg, "I'm so glad we're partnered up!"  
  
Soul uncomfortably tried to pry Claudia off of him as Maka tried to suppress her irritation. Clearing her throat, the Scythe Meister looked at Caius and asked him, "So what should we do first?"  
  
"We should try to figure out what Mr. Ricardsen is planning. I mean, we have everything else down pat." Caius answered as Soul unsuccessfully tried to get the clingy blonde off of him.   
  
"Knowing him, it may be complex. We should review everything we've went through and go from there. Let's start now." Maka suggested. With that, the group walked out—in Soul's case, he hopped out because he was using both arms to remove a freeloading Claudia.    
  
"So what's the game plan?" Liz inquired, rolling a strand of her hair between two fingers.   
  
"I say we train!" Blackstar proposed, getting straight to the point as Tsubaki gave a meek thumbs-up to show her approval.   
  
"Well, training would be nice. We need to refine our combinations anyway." Kid reasoned, for once agreeing with Blackstar's simple thought process. Patty clapped her hands and jumped up and down in a celebratory manner.   
  
" _To the woods_!" Blackstar ran out of the classroom at breakneck speeds with Patty following right behind him. Liz, Kid, and Tsubaki only sighed as they exited at their own pace.   
  
"Can we partner with someone else?!" Ragnarok cried out, earning glares from behind eyewear of Harvar and Ox.   
  
"Ragnarok, be nice." Crona ordered and then looked at the two demurely, "Umm...I hope we can pass the field test together. So...umm.” The pink-haired fellow then looked down, rubbing its feet together nervously, "So let's do our best."  
  
Ox nodded, "Very well. I accept your collaboration. If we work consistently, then a perfect score is all but assured."  
  
"So umm...what should we do?" Crona asked meekly.  
  
Ox adjusted his glasses slightly as he cleared his throat, trying to be professional, "We have much to work on. Firstly, we need to learn about each other in a similar vein to what Mr. Ricardsen taught us the first day he came. Only then can we proceed on. Even though we have an entire week, we must prepare ourselves properly and in an orderly manner to optimize our success."  
  
Crona nodded but then decided to warn them, "But just to let you know, someone won't be too cooperative and might mess up."  
  
For some reason, Ox and Harvar just simply  _knew_  Crona was talking about Ragnarok.  
  
Around this time, many of the students began leaving. Some teams stayed together in order to get a head start using what was left of first period. Others went about with their typical business, having already created a schedule with their teammates. Though, some stilled conversed with their partners. In the upper tiers of the classroom, Tsuji, Kim, Marcellus, and Jacqueline were among such people.  
  
"Alright, ladies, let's not let this being our first time together mess anything up," Tsuji said amicably as Marcellus stood there eating his lollipop with minimal interest in the conversation, "You work with us, we'll work with you. This became a mutual partnership the moment my daddy called our names out."  
  
"Good," Kim replied approvingly, "The last thing I need is someone upright and strict or a complete slacker."  
  
"Though, are you sure you're Mr. Ricardsen's son? You don't act like it." Jacqueline asked, raising a curious eyebrow.   
  
"I got a birth certificate to prove it. What ya see is what ya get!" Tsuji quipped as he grinned widely, earning a humored giggle from the Demon Lantern. He then went back to the matter at hand, "Okay, seriously though, what's the first thing ya'll wanna work on?"  
  
"Obviously, we need to establish our own Joint Resonance." Kim answered, looking down thoughtfully as she toyed with one the strands of her pink hair, "And I guess just apply what we learned." She looked at the Bow Meister as she shrugged her shoulders, "Really, since you're the instructor's son, you should take the lead."  
  
"So what if me and Marcellus didn't know our stuff?" Tsuji questioned, arching his brow, "You'd be outta luck then."  
  
"Please. We saw what you did the other day." Jacqueline responded saucily, referring to when Tsuji and Rowena came in on their first day of school successfully performing a textbook-perfect Joint Resonance.   
  
"Alright, alright, we get ya," Tsuji conceded, standing up as he nodded his head over to the exit, "C'mon, let's get a little somethin' done before the class period ends."  
  
The four walked out to get some work done, oblivious to Nayumi running past them at light speed as she approached Pot of Fire and Pot of Thunder. "Aww, you two are so cute!" She complimented, her large magenta eyes shimmering with fascination. The Pot Twins smiled, jumping at her and innocently playing with her hair loops.  
  
"Okay, Rowena, so what's the deal?" Kilik asked, standing with his hands in his pockets with his usual slouched posture.   
  
"Okay, Kilik, here's a little known fact," Rowena replied as Nayumi and Pot Twins played with each other in the background, "Joint Resonance only works when you're comfortable and cool with someone. So, for the rest of the day and the weekend, let’s just chill and get to know each other. Establish some trust cuz, without that, it ain't gonna work. Trust me on that. Joint Resonance's not like Chain or Soul Resonance. It lets ya know who you're really down with since everybody plays like a part."  
  
"So we take it easy?" Kilik asked.   
  
Rowena nodded with an intense stare, "For now. Soon as Monday comes, we're hittin' the ground running. Got that?"   
  
"Got it."

* * *

Class Crescent Moon was not the only place doing something productive. All students registered in the NOT curriculum gathered into one of the auditoriums within the Academy. The grand hall featured extensive use of redwood, orange carpeting, and white painting. The rows were expansive, easily compensating a great part of the student body. Lord Death's mask symbol was placed on the walls, the columns against them, above the entrances and exits, and among the décor. The seats circled around a grand, elevated platform in which four screens hovered above it, one each facing a certain direction so that everyone could see it. Curiously, a table with papers stacked on it was on this stage.   
  
Right now, the auditorium was steadily filling up with students of varying ages and origins. Among the people already present was Vincent. He lounged in his seat with his feet propped up on the empty one before him. However, he wasn't like alone as two people were with him.  
  
"I'm getting tired of these pointless lectures." grumbled the female girl on his right. She had grey hair with a slight lavender tint that was kept into two droopy ponytails by black bows. Only one of her dull emerald green eyes was visible due to the other being covered by a tuft of bangs. Her outfit consisted of a plain, dark purple hoodie, a light grey skirt, and black and grey tennis shoes. She too leaned back languidly in her seat with her hands inside the front pockets of her hoodie despite the fact that her hands were almost hidden by the cuffs anyway.   
  
"Oh, Autumn, every day is a new opportunity. You should relish things like this more!" beamed the male on Vincent's left, gazing at Autumn with navy blue eyes. His maroon hair was neatly cut, and his short bangs were combed across his forehead tidily. He wore a dark green Polo shirt with a pattern of dark blue, yellow, and dark red horizontal stripes in which the yellow stripes were the thinnest. He finished his look with faded jeans and white tennis shoes.   
  
"Damon, how many thimes do I hath to thell y-…" Autumn immediately silenced herself when she noticed her lisp cropping up, causing Damon to burst out into a fit of laughter.   
  
Vincent directed a smirk her way, "I see it hasn't gone away yet."  
  
Autumn shot him a dull glare before closing her visible eye and sticking out her tongue, showing the perpetrator. She got a lip piercing over two weeks ago that needed several days to heal, resulting in unsightly lisp that liked to appear whenever it pleased. Though, it definitely wasn't as bad as the first three days when Autumn refused to speak at all in fear sounding like an inarticulate fool.   
  
"But I gotta agree with Damon this time," Vincent said, staring around at the auditorium. Almost everyone from the NOT class had arrived. "I hope this is something worthwhile. I mean, jeez, this has been boring. I've had more freedom these last five years than in my whole entire life. Now I just need something to do with it. I want some of the chaos that the DWMA has to offer! Bring on the over-the-top-ness, damn it!" He slammed his fist on the armrest of his chair to emphasize his frustration.   
  
"Good morning, NOT Class. Thank you for coming."  
  
Everyone quieted down when Sid Barett took center stage. In addition to his other miscellaneous duties at the DWMA, he was also the head supervisor of the NOT students. Any progress individual students of the NOT curriculum made was reported to him by other instructors.   
  
The zombie continued speaking, "A great majority of the people in here have shown tremendous progress, so the instructors behind the NOT curriculum have unanimously decided on a measure to help further you guys even more. We're going to allow you to go on some preliminary missions."  
  
Previously, NOT students were not allowed to participate in missions and were given the designation of "Zero Stars" to denote that. Curious murmuring and troubled whispering echoed throughout the auditorium. Many were apprehensive because they were not fit for combat.  
  
"Finally, something interesting." Vincent smirked, a wide and toothy smile stretching across his face as he clenched a fist.   
  
"Don't get too excited or too scared." Sid suddenly added in, silencing everyone. "This opportunity is only open for a week and is for evaluation purposes if anything. In addition, NOT students will only be allowed on F- or D-Rank missions. Some may go on C-Rank but, not only is that the highest allowable, it’s also reserved for special exceptions that I see fit to go on them." Many breathed a sigh of relief while some people struck the empty chair in front of them in annoyance.  
  
"Behind me on this table are a list of F- and D-Rank missions," Sid said, "You may come now to pick one up. Once selected, take them to reception and begin them. You may go on as many as you like if they are available. You have the rest of the day to yourselves, but I expect everyone to go on at least one mission."  
  
Immediately, the NOT students sprung up, rushed down to the center at breakneck speeds, and flooded the stage. Sid was trampled in the resulting stampede as the students began clearing the table. There was much shouting, kicking, and screaming as the NOT students fought like animals over missions. Eventually, however, the things calmed down, leaving Sid sprawled out on the space below the platform with many shoe marks over his blue body.   
  
"You probably should have mentioned 'come down in an orderly fashion,' Mr. Barett." Akane suggested as he and Clay nonchalantly walked up and helped the zombie up to his feet.   
  
In the wake of the chaos, only a few papers were left on the table, though some were carelessly left on the floor. One by the podium was picked up by a fourteen-year-old girl with black hair styled into two pigtails, royal purple eyes, and a black and white sailor DWMA uniform. She was between two other girls of the same age – one blond garbed with a blue and white elaborate blazer and the other with mahogany hair and a beige sweater vest and skirt combo. The three females read the specifications of that particular mission.   
  
 _Mission Location: Death City, Nevada  
Mission Description: A coveted Yorkshire Terrier ('yorkie' for short) is being sought out by its desperate owner. Find it immediately and return it to her.    
Mission Difficulty: F Rank  
Special Notes: Death City is a large place with many roads and areas, so create a large search party. To facilitate the process, this mission sheet contains a picture of the yorkie, the owner's contact information if needed, and an account where a dog befitting the description was last seen.    
Status: Vacant_  
  
"This looks perfect! We don't have to go anywhere special!" The black-haired schoolgirl beamed happily. She was one of the many students who were relieved to know they were not going on the death-defying trials EAT students were expected to go through.   
  
"We're not dogcatchers, Tsugumi," the blonde one huffed, casting her gaze to the side, "But if that's you want, then so be it."  
  
"What are we doing, Anya?" the mahogany-haired one asked dumbly, titling her head.   
  
"We're trying to find this dog, Meme." Anya answered dully, flipping over the mission specs to show a full-page picture of the canine in question. The Yorkshire Terrier had long and straight but thick coat of fur full of gray, black, and tan colors. Accessories included a dog collar a bright sapphire orb attached to it and a bright blue blow with a brooch in the middle that resembled what was on the collar.   
  
Tsugumi examined the picture of the dog and said, "Well, we should go to—"  
  
" _This is stupid_!"  
  
Tsugumi, Anya, and Meme shrieked in fear as the table unexpectedly flew by them. They looked all to see Vincent over where it used to be, waving his arms and shuffling his legs chaotically with blank eyes and sharp teeth. They could have sworn he was breathing fire as well.   
  
" _None of these missions are exciting_!" Vincent shouted, continuing his little tirade.  
  
"Aw, c'mon, Vinny, these aren't that bad!" Damon said optimistically with his ever-present smile, holding up two sheets of mission specifications.   
  
"Told you this was a pointless waste of time." Autumn muttered pessimistically, shaking her head.   
  
"U-Um…"  
  
Vincent immediately stopped his rampage as he, Autumn, and Damon all looked at the trio of girls approaching them. Tsugumi was trying to figure out what to say. Anya had her arms crossed as she scowled, probably upset at nearly being hit by a volleyed table. Meme had a focused look, more than likely having a hard time remembering their names.   
  
"Oh. Tsugumi, Anya, and Meme. How are you? Something you three need?" Vincent inquired politely as he straightened up – a stark contrast to the rebellious cavalier they just saw.   
  
"W-Well, we couldn't help but hear you, so…" Tsugumi said hesitantly, poking her index fingers together. She stopped that as she steeled her nerves, resuming her proposition with more confidence, "Would you like to go on the mission we found? We think it's great."  
  
The trio all raised a curious brow at her, wondering exactly what this mission entailed.  
  


* * *

  
"We're looking for a  _mutt_?"  
  
Autumn's poisonous voice could melt the stone away on the street of Death City the impromptu team of students were at now. This street was side-by-side with a still river and bustling with many citizens of Death City. Just above them was a monorail supported by thick concrete arcs that stretched as long as the street.   
  
Tsugumi bit her lip as her gaze fell to the floor, thinking she had said something to offend Autumn. Anya, on the other hand, thought differently and was more than willing to retort, "If you don't like it, you can leave."  
  
"Now, now, let's not pull the claws out." Vincent stepped in, hoping to stop a potential catfight, "We got a search mission to do, so let's cooperate, 'k?"  
  
Autumn inched closer to the wisteria-haired teen and whispered dangerously, "You're filling up your BS meter, Vin—" Vincent promptly silenced her by jamming the heel of his foot into Autumn's. The silver-haired girl chomped down on her bottom lip, keeping her scream in check. When Vincent removed his foot, Autumn hopped on one foot while holding the other with her hands. While it was true that what essentially amounted to a glorified dog-catching mission didn’t  _at all_  appeal to him, these girls three years his junior wanted to go on it, so he had to oblige.  
  
"Yeah! We're going to make the best dog-catching team ever!" Damon asseverated excitedly, throwing a fist into the air, "We're going to do our best, and we're going to accomplish this mission! Cuz we're just that awesome!"  
  
Damon's optimism was contagious as Tsugumi felt emboldened by the maroon-haired male's declarations. "Yes! I agree! We can do this!" She replied, starting to jump a little.  
  
"Let's split up," Vincent recommended, "My siblings and I will examine one part while you three check out the other."  
  
Tsugumi nodded, "Okay. The yorkie was last sighted on Death Row Street if we read the account right. We should check the roads around it." The black-haired girl looked at Meme and asked her, "Since you were the last one to look at the map it gave us, what roads were they?"  
  
Meme looked up to sky as she racked her brain trying to recall the exact names. "I know one was Death Toll Lane and Death…Dead…er...." Then, a sudden shock of insight came to her, snapping her fingers, "Oh! Dead Air Road."  
  
" _To Dead Air Road_!" Damon shouted to high heavens, grabbing his brother and sister and dashing off at breakneck speeds, leaving behind a trail of dust from his gaits.   
  
Tsugumi watched the triplets leave, unsure of how to act. "What boundless energy."  
  
"Uh, Meme? Tsugumi?" The two heard Anya and turned to see her checking out a nearby directory. Her slim finger glided across the surface as her brow furrowed, spotting something. "The street in question was Death Row, right?" She glanced at them in time to see them nod and then stated, "The streets bordering it are Death Toll Lane and  _Dead Center Highway_ , not Death Air Road."  
  
...  
  
...  
  
Meme snapped her fingers again, "Oh yeah! That was the name! I had forgotten."  
  


* * *

  
Due to the unfortunate fact that Vincent, Autumn, and Damon were now nowhere near for help, Tsugumi, Anya, and Meme were forced to scour Death Toll Lane and Dead Center Highway by themselves. It would have been an easy task if it weren't for these two particular roads being the longest in the city. The trio of girls spent at least three hours searching up and down both roads, and their frustration was exacerbated by the outside temperature and the lack of success in finding the yorkie. By the time they decided to actually enter Death Row Street and investigate there, exhaustion finally claimed them. Their feet ached horribly, they were sweaty from the heat, and their throats were parched.   
  
Tsugumi, Anya, and Meme were now sitting at a bench in the most languorous of ways under shady trees. Never had they considered dog-catching to be such an onerous task. Now they understood why the mission specs advocated the joint effort of a large search party. Death Toll Lane, Dead Center Highway, and Death Row Street might have been the last place the yorkie was sighted, but realistically, it could have been anywhere in Death City, including on the other side where Dead Air Road was.   
  
"I'm so tired." Meme groaned, using her sleeve to wipe off the sweat accumulating on her forehead.   
  
"They call this an F-Rank mission?" Anya huffed, fanning herself with her own hand.   
  
"But we have to find that dog." Tsugumi panted as she leaned forward, wincing when the aching pain travelled all the way up to her spine. She rested her back against the bench again, feeling instant relief. She had underestimated the toll all of that walking under the sun did on her physically inept body. She then whined when her stomach growled, yearning for sustenance.   
  
"Tsugumi, let's just rest for now," Anya said firmly, casting a disapproving look to her friend, "This is not unlike finding a needle in a haystack."  
  
Every second spent not looking for the dog meant this mission was inching closer to failure. Tsugumi honestly did not want that. She had already experienced crushing failures like with the Traitor and constantly being behind Anya, Meme, and Akane in terms of physicality. Failing or abandoning this mission would be the ultimate pulverizer to her self-esteem. However, Anya did speak some sense. It would be foolish to go on exhausted. At least this mission was in the comfort of her own hometown and had no real danger.   
  
"OK. You're right." Tsugumi conceded, slumping in her seat.   
  
The girls were finally able to relax. In the midst of blissful silence and idle chatter every now and then, something inched out from underneath the bench and indiscreetly sniffed Anya's left shoe. Satisfied by the scent of it, the organism turned around and lifted one of its limbs.  
  
Anya squeaked when she suddenly felt a very warm liquid soak into one of her socks, causing Meme and Tsugumi to look at her weirdly. When she looked down, so did they. Anya's face immediately lost color as her blue eyes widened. Her heart skipped a beat as strained noises came out for mouth. Tsugumi covered her mouth with her hand in shock as Meme had trouble stifling her laughter.  
  
They had found the yorkie, and it was peeing on Anya's shoe.   
  
The blond meister released an extremely loud scream, making flocks of pigeons retreat from their nests and causing some glass to shatter. Anya went over to the nearby fountain to wash off her shoe, sock, and foot, all the while spewing a stream of unladylike swear words and derogatory comments about dogs. Meme helped out the distraught high-class lady, but all she could was laugh.   
  
Tsugumi was about to assist Anya as well, but she saw the yorkie running down the sidewalk out of fear from Anya's outburst. "W-Wait! Come back!" Tsugumi shouted, pursuing the fleeing canine. She couldn't believe their luck – a chance encounter with their target when all hope seemed lost. The Demon Halberd wasn't going to squander this opportunity. "S-Slow down!" She cried out, seeing that the animal was getting away from her.   
  
Just then, a cage was slammed in front of the yorkie, who in inadvertently slid right in. The dog yelped fearfully as the cage was lifted up. Tsugumi stopped running and gasped in shock. The group of four, slightly older men all laughed and exchanged high-fives, glad to have captured the yorkie. To top it all off, they were dressed like normal people, virtually indistinguishable from the common civilian.   
  
"H-Hey! What are you doing?!" Tsugumi questioned. Her heart almost broke when the whining yorkie turned to her and pawed at the bars of the cage, beckoning her to rescue it.   
  
"Sorry, kiddo, we've been looking for this pooch for a while." One of them said.  
  
"It's got some top-dollar accessories on it, and the dog itself is pretty hefty in price. So we're confiscating it." Another said.   
  
"Hope you don't mind." The third one remarked nonchalantly.   
  
It became increasingly obvious to Tsugumi that these gentlemen were poachers, and that is 'dog-catching' mission had much more to it than what the specifications implied. Those facts made Tsugumi's chest knot up. This was supposed to be harmless and safe. But, she clenched her fists in an attempt to banish her nervousness, thinking about what her fellow pigtailed idol would do.   
  
"I do mind! It doesn't belong to you!" The Demon Halberd argued. The poachers never stopped grinning, amused by the girl's display of spunkiness. Around this time, Anya and Meme managed to catch up to the Japanese girl and see the kind of dilemma they faced now.  
  
"And what are you street urchins doing bothering Tsugumi?" Anya questioned, placing her hands on her hips.  
  
"And why do you have the little doggy locked up?" Meme inquired, pointing at the imprisoned yorkie.   
  
The poachers came to a conclusion that they needed to leave as soon as possible now that they saw Tsugumi had extra help. The one carrying the yorkie whispered something to the poacher beside him and he nodded back. He gave the cage to him as another run off, leaving two of poachers with the girls.   
  
"Hey! Get back here!" Tsugumi exclaimed, trying to run after them. However, the two remaining got in the way.  
  
"Tsugumi, transform." Anya demanded, gritting her teeth. They needed to move these guys out of the way quickly before the others got too far away. Tsugumi nodded as a pinkish light engulfed her, shooting herself as a stream of formless energy through Anya's hand and transforming into a halberd.   
  
"Oh wow. What good is a weapon without a cutting edge?" one of them chided, noticing the deformity in Tsugumi's weapon form.   
  
"Plenty." Anya immediately darted forth and swung the halberd, knocking the blunt blade straight across the mouth of the one who made the comment. When the other poacher tried to tackle her during that small window of opportunity, Meme rushed over and thrust her both of her hands into his chest, sending him careening backwards.   
  
"Why you!" one of the poachers growled as he wiped his mouth with his arm and shot back to his feet. His friend performed an athletic spring kick to put himself back on his feet. Both Meme and Anya prepared themselves, seeing that, despite being normal people without any sort of weapon, they would not go down so easily.   
  
Just then, loud honking boomed, catching the attention of everyone present. A black van skidded across the road as it approached the duel. Anya and Meme immediately jumped to the side as the duo of poachers rolled away as the van came to a stop. The black vehicle was a bit streamlined, resembling more of a SUV, with a roof-rack on the top and heavily tinted windows.   
  
"You almost ran over us, y'know!" one of the poachers chastised as he opened up the bidirectional backdoors and placed the caged yorkie in the space. The two quickly hopped in, slamming both doors shut behind them. The driver rolled his eyes as he pressed the gas pedal, the engine roaring.   
  
" _Hold it_!" Anya and Meme shouted as they tried to catch the van before it went off. It was too late as it sped away, shooting exhaust fumes in their faces. The two girls coughed as they shut their eyes, using their hands to swat away the thick clouds.   
  
"Meme, Anya, are you two okay?" Tsugumi asked concernedly as she reverted back to her human form.  
  
"I can't believe those punks got away!" Anya growled, stomping her foot in frustration.   
  
"Hey, wait, what's that up ahead?" Meme asked, squinting her eyes. Tsugumi and Anya looked ahead to see what she was talking about. The van was still visible in the distance, and the girls were able to make out the distinct appearances of Vincent, Autumn, and Damon nonchalantly entering the street via a crosswalk and unknowingly walking in the van's way.   
  
"It may have taken three, almost four hours, but we made it!" Damon declaredly, practically bouncing with each step he took.   
  
"This whole thing is so pointless. And we're about to miss lunch. I'm hungry." Autumn complained, hunched over. She was weary and exhausted; her face looked like it was ready to fall off.   
  
"Do you two hear something?" Vincent questioned, stopping at the same time as his siblings as they looked around curiously.   
  
Their eyes dilated when they saw the van coming straight at them at full speeds. The front of the van hit them with great force, sending all three of their bodies rolling over the windshield and eventually the entire vehicle. They landed on the other side with loud and particularly cringe-worthy thuds as the van continued its course.   
  
Anya, Tsugumi, and Meme all gasped in unison as their eyes shrunk to the smallest degree. They immediately ran over as fast as they could, fear gripping them. That van ran into them at top speeds. If the initial hit did not break or disfigure them, that horrible landing surely did some damage. Did they get concussions? Were any of their limbs dislocated or broken? Were they bleeding profusely? Or worse, were they dead? As those questions ran through their minds, the girls pictured their motionless and mangled bodies with the ailments.  
  
The thought almost made them faint.  
  
Tsugumi, Anya, and Meme reached them and kneeled beside them, trying to ascertain the siblings' well-being. "G-Guys! Speak to us p-p-please!" Tsugumi had a hard time keeping her emotions in check. She was on the verge of tears as she checked their bodies for any injuries.   
  
She got an almost animalistic snarl as her response. "Did that driver… _seriously_  just run us over…?" Autumn was the first to speak, and she definitely wasn't happy. In fact, her normally monotonous voice was laced with anger. She slowly sat up, feeling dull pain course through her body. But a simple crack of her neck and back fixed that for the most part.   
  
"My head hurts…" Damon groaned dizzily, holding his head as he rolled over.  
  
"Those clowns better be glad that was a hit-and-run. Otherwise, I’d be going to jail for manslaughter." Vincent said threateningly as he too sat up. However, he sucked in air sharply as he held one of his arms. He noticed a spot on the sleeve of his jacket was darkening.   
  
"Did you break it?" Anya asked, looking at him.   
  
"No." Vincent replied, gingerly removing his jacket to reveal the injury. It was a puncture wound from when the hood ornament of the van stabbed into his forearm on the initial impact. Freed, blood oozed out from the wound and travelled down the rest of his arm.   
  
"Here. I'll take care of it." Anya ripped off a lengthy portion of the hem of her dress, planning to use it as a makeshift bandage. She wrapped it around the puncture on Vincent's forearm, making sure it was tight enough to apply the pressure needed to stop the bleeding. Vincent winced again but nonetheless accepted the pain so that he would get used to it. Once done, Anya tied a knot to keep it in place. "There."  
  
"Thanks, Anya. That means a lot." Vincent said appreciatively, smiling at her.  
  
Anya turned away, "I only did it because you were hurt. Don't think too hard about it."  
  
"So, anyone mind telling me what was that about?" Autumn asked, getting up and exercising any parts of her body that were still sore.  
  
"Um," Tsugumi droned, wondering how in the world did these three get out of a hit-and-run with relatively superficial injuries. She shook her head to catch her bearings when Autumn shot her an impatient look. "They… took the yorkie."  
  
"What the-?! What do they want with a dog?!" Damon exclaimed questioningly as he and the others stood up as well.   
  
"My guess is that they were dog-nappers of some sorts." Anya surmised perceptively, "After all, some breeds are worth quite some money."  
  
Autumn and Vincent both sighed irefully for three reasons. All that extensive searching and walking amounted to nothing, they failed an F-Rank mission, and they got ran over by a speeding vehicle for their troubles. They honestly felt like beating the tar out of someone. A quick glance at Damon told them he wanted to do the same thing since he had a neutral expression on his face as he rubbed his temples.   
  
"Dead…End? I thought this was Death Row Street?"  
  
Everyone looked to see Meme studying a triangular sign. It was not the normal green and white street sign. Rather, it was a construction sign with the words 'DEAD END' plastered on a patented safety orange surface. Glancing up ahead, they saw traffic cones and yellow tape, meaning construction was going on. Wide smiles appeared on the siblings’ faces, putting everything together.   
  
"Everyone," Vincent's smirk widened when he heard the roar of an engine and the skid of tires in the distance, "This mission ain't over yet."  
  
On cue, the van of the poachers surged back down Death Row Street, approaching the crosswalk again at speeds upwards to ninety miles per hour. The construction-causing dead end on the other side forced them to turn around, providing the DWMA students their second chance at the mission. “What the-?! It’s those damn kids again! Both groups!” The driver growled, slamming his hand on the steering wheel and gritting his teeth in frustration. He accelerated the van. This time, he was going to make sure to cause damage to them. The money the mutt in the backseat was worth mattered more.   
  
"Tsugumi, you might want to turn into your weapon form." Damon cautioned. If his hunch was correct, he and his siblings were about to do something very daring. Given how hungrily Vincent and Autumn were smirking, it was all but confirmed. Tsugumi nodded hesitantly and transformed back into her halberd form, this time in Meme's hand. Autumn removed her hands from her hoodie pockets and hooked arms with Anya and Meme. Vincent seized Anya's available arm, and Damon got Meme's.  
  
"W-W-Wait! What are you three doing!?" Anya questioned, repeatedly looking back and forth between them and the oncoming van. She and Meme squirmed in their grasps, sweating profusely and hearts racing. Based on the shaking of the halberd, Tsugumi was beginning to panic as well.   
  
The siblings crouched down while still holding on and, when the speeding vehicle came close enough, jumped. Bringing Anya and Meme with them, they cleared the front of the van. Then, Vincent and Damon used their free hands to grip the two metal rails of the roof-rack and everyone landed on their bellies on the top of the car. Now on board the van, their surroundings passed by them at full-speed as sharp wind blew into their faces and caused all loose material and garments to billow helplessly.   
  
" _Whoo_!  _Now_ this _is what I’m talking about_!" Vincent hollered to high heavens, feeling the adrenaline rush. His desire for the DWMA's legendary 'over-the-top-ness' was being satisfied.  
  
"This is crazy! You guys are absolutely nuts!" Anya shrieked over the loud wind.   
  
Damon had crawled over to the front of the vehicle and only turned when the blond meister shouted. He was going to comment until Anya's position revealed something to him. "I didn't know you wore blue and white-striped panties, Anya." He said innocently.   
  
"Striped?" Vincent repeated, a very faint blush appearing on his face.   
  
Anya immediately whipped around as she used one hand to keep her skirt down. " _Stop looking_!" She demanded, her face redder than a tomato.   
  
"You're the one with the frilly, long skirt and the kinky underpants." Autumn said matter-of-factly, rolling her visible eye, "Wear some cycling shorts beneath it like I do." When Anya whipped around to retort, Autumn promptly held up a hand to silence her, "I don't want to hear it. Let's get work now. Vincent and I will tend to the driver and the passenger. Damon, you stay up, keep watch, and make sure no one falls off this van. Anya and Meme, open the doors on the back of the van and get the dog."  
  
With their tasks understood, Vincent and Autumn began the operation. The two crawled over to the front of the roof of the car, kept one hand on the rail, and allowed themselves to slip down the side of the van. Once their feet were planted on the footrest below the doors, they sprang into action.   
  
The driver and passenger screamed when the windows on either side were suddenly smashed open. Then, a hand shot through the now-open space and seized them.   
  
" _Pull this freaking car over now_!" Autumn and Vincent shouted, their faces now visible to the front seat poachers.   
  
Purely out of shock, the driver narrowly lost control of the vehicle, forcing him to continuously turn the wheel one way and the other as the van swayed side-to-side. Letting go of the rail above, Autumn and Vincent now used both hands to not only handle their respective opponent but also used them to make sure they didn't fall off. Autumn and the passenger were engaged in a fistfight while Vincent and driver battled for custody over the steering wheel.   
  
"What the heck's going on up there, guys?!" One of the poachers in the back with the yorkie shout, reaching for the nearest thing to hold onto.   
  
Back up top, teamwork was being used to try and open the bidirectional backdoors. While Damon stayed at his spot, the recently transformed Tsugumi held onto a rail. Her other hand was occupied by Anya's, who was making sure Meme descended safely to the footrest below.   
  
When she was in place, Meme pulled the handle but nothing happened, "I think it's locked!" She continued to jimmy the handle, the noises earning the attention of the two poachers in the back, who had trouble getting to the front to help out their buddies. One of them carefully crawled over, seeing the silhouette of a person on the tinted windows. He smirked as he gained a dastardly idea; he would open the doors and let them knock the person out onto the road.   
  
Meme squeaked as the door suddenly hit her, instinctively holding onto available crevices for dear life. Anya nearly lost her balance when the separation of the doors made her lose grip of Meme, but luckily, Tsugumi was there to pull her back to safety of the car's roof.   
  
"Meme! Are you okay?!" Tsugum called out to her.  
  
"I'm fine~" Meme replied blissfully, safely latched onto the door that swayed in the high winds.  
  
" _Cars_!!!!"  
  
Vincent and Autumn were alerted by Damon's voice and looked forward, seeing the cars of pedestrian in the way. There was no way braking would prevent a disaster. If anything, that would worsen it.   
  
"Yo, lemme borrow your head." Vincent seized a fistful of the driver's hair and subsequently slammed the side of his head onto the steering wheel. The extremely loud noise of the van's horn was enough to catch the attention of the drivers ahead, all of whom immediately steered out of the way even if it meant going onto the sidewalk or veering into the wrong lane.   
  
"JEEZ! All this for a damn dog?!" the passenger cried out after getting punched in the face.   
  
"Look who's talking." Autumn replied dully.  
  
" _Sharp turn_!!!"  
  
The next obstacle on this perilous highway adventure was a three-way street in which going straight was not an option. To make matters worse, there was a red light up ahead. If they kept going, ignored the stoplight, and turned onto the next road, there was a high chance of them crashing into cars.   
  
Vincent's solution was to keep slamming the driver's head onto the horn, hoping that the cars driving in the other road would hear and have enough sense to stop. Autumn was still too busy occupied with the passenger to think of something. Damon, Anya, Tsugumi, and Meme could not think of anything. The two poachers in the back were panicking, holding onto to safety rails for dear life.   
  
" _We're turning_!  _Brace yourselves_!" Vincent shouted, throwing the extremely dazed driver's head into the headrest and grabbing the steering wheel with both hands. Then, he noticed the van continued going at top speeds and came to one reasonable conclusion. " _Will you get your foot off the accelerator_?!" He yelled at the driver.  
  
Growling, the driver summoned something strength to push Vincent away, forcing him to let go of the steering wheel and instead grab the frame of the door before he fell. "Accelerate this!" The driver unlocked the door and shoved it open, causing the upper part of the frame to hit Vincent squarely in the face.   
  
"OW, MY FACE!" Vincent screamed in pain, shooting one hand up to clutch his nose. He then felt his center of mass shift as the driver pulled the door shut again. "W-Whoa!" He almost lost his balance, but thankfully, he was able to grab the door handle in time.  
  
" _Vincent_!" Autumn shouted in concern, seeing that. Because she was on the other side of the van, she thought her brother had actually fallen off. A quick glance over her shoulder confirmed otherwise since there were no rolling body, and she sighed in relief. However, that brief drop of her guard gave the passenger an opportunity. Capitalizing on it, he grabbed Autumn's head with both hands and threw it into the rearview mirror, shattering the glass and breaking the mechanism off completely.    
  
" _Autumn_!" Damon screamed, impulsively diving down and grabbing Autumn's hand before it completely got out of his reach. Anya and Tsugumi reacted quick enough to grab Damon's legs before he slipped off the roof.   
  
"Here we go!" The driver shouted to everyone as they finally approached the sharp turn and the light. He actually took his foot off the accelerator and lightly put on the brakes as he turned. The tires left broad skid marks in the road as they screeched. The cars around the van veered away to avoid it, instead colliding with other vehicles or safely missing an accident. The force of the turn actually helped out Damon as he was able to pull up his dazed sister in one fell swoop, falling onto Anya and Tsugumi as a result. The turn also flung the backdoors closed, hurling Meme into the vehicle as she inadvertently headbutted one of the guys. Vincent's knuckles turned white as he held onto the handle for dear life, gritting his teeth hard. Once the turn was complete, the driver hit the accelerator hit again and resumed going at speeds that neared one hundred miles per hour.   
  
" _Damon, gimme a hand_!" Vincent cried out desperately, overwhelmed by his position as he stood securely on the footrest again. Damon looked at him over the edge and reached out his hand, grabbing his brother's and immediately pulling him upward.   
  
"I'm about to kill them. Nobody stop me." Autumn announced bloodthirstily, applying pressure to the spot on her forehead where she was bleeding.   
  
"Let me help you out there, Autumn. We're both going to jail." Vincent said tiredly. He then did a quick head-count and noticed one person was missing. "Uh, guys? Where's Meme?"  
  
The driver grinned diabolically, knowing the DWMA kids were stationed on the roof of the vehicle now. "Alright, another sharp turn like that, and I'll throw those kids—"   
  
Out of nowhere, the two poachers were flung into the back of the driver's seat, squashing him between them and the steering wheel, which was hooked in a turning position. The van then began to spin out as the tires screeched louder than before. Vincent, Autumn, Damon, Anya, and Tsugumi all screamed their hearts out as they held onto each other tightly, keeping their eyes shut. To everyone in the car, the whole world was spinning at a nauseatingly face pace. The side of the van then collided with a light pole, completely stopping it with a loud crash. Glass from car windows shattered and fell to the asphalt like a rain shower. The engine suffered damage in the impact, groaning as it died.   
  
"O-Oh man…what a wild ride." Vincent said groggily with spinning eyes and a loopy grin.   
  
The backdoors opened up with a creak as Meme stepped out with a happy yorkie licking her cheek, "I got the doggy!"  
  


* * *

  
Death City's rescue department was deployed soon after, tending to the accidents that happened because of the van. Law enforcement officers picked up the poachers and interviewed the siblings and the girls. Once they verified their status as Academy students, and medical aid checked up on them, they were released. The yorkie was finally returned to its very grateful owner, who was given the particularly cutting suggestion of removing the accessories courtesy of Autumn and Anya. Now, the group had just finished consulting with Sid about their mission and were walking out.   
  
"I told you that they were gonna pay us back," Autumn said as she counted the dollar bills in her envelope, "A rule in the handbook says, if students are assigned to a mission with a misleading rank, they will be compensated once suitable evidence is shown, regardless of success or failure. Given the dangers, we were on probably a C-Rank mission instead of an F-Rank."  
  
"The one rule you care about  _would_  be something like that." Vincent said, shooting Autumn a blank look after pocketing his envelope full of cash.   
  
"See! I knew that mission was a lot better! Everything turned out great in the end!" Damon cheered, skipping happily.   
  
"That was a little too much excitement for me." Tsugumi groaned, tuckered out and hunched over.  
  
"I think we're done with missions for the week." Anya muttered, the strands of her hair out of place from stress.  
  
"What did we just do?" Meme asked, titling her head. Tsugumi and Anya fell over on their faces as the siblings shook their heads.   
  
"Well, since we missed lunch, I'm going out. I'm done with this school for the weekend." Autumn announced, putting her hands in her hoodie pocket along with her commission.   
  
"I need a nap to forget all of this." Anya sighed, storing away her envelope of cash.   
  
"Forget all of what?" Meme asked again.   
  
"Like that." Anya mumbled jealously.   
  
"Well, I’m ready to pig out too, so we're out, you three." Vincent said, yawning as he and Damon followed the departing Autumn.   
  
"U-Uh, Vanderbilts!" Tsugumi suddenly called out to them. The triplets turned around and gave the Demon Halberd a quizzical look. She bowed her head to them, "Th-thanks for coming with us! Y-You guys taught me a lot of things! And you were amazing!"  
  
"We can't take all the credit! You guys did more work than we did!" Damon replied, flashing them a giant grin. Autumn just shrugged her shoulders and Vincent simply held up his hand in acknowledgment. The three of them proceeded to leave, rounding the nearby corner.  
  
“Another day gone, and one more step to our ultimate goal.” Vincent as he clenched that same hand.   
  
"That kind of stuff is in our blood, our nature." Autumn said dismissively as they walked into a shadowed area of the hallway thanks to the position of the large window near them and the Sun. She sighed heavily as she stopped walking, “As annoying as the whole endeavor was.”  
  
“Don’t worry.” Damon looked around the hallway and watched the many students pass by talking to their friends, texting on their phones, or minding their own business. They stayed in light, oblivious to the world around them, as he and his siblings remained in the shadows, quietly working. “When we find out where they’re keeping her, things’ll perk up. I sure can’t wait!”  
  
“Oh yeah.” Vincent rasped as a large grin appeared on his face. So they wouldn’t seem suspicious, they resumed walking as he continued, “To help make things better for both worlds, it’s our job to take her out no matter what.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for taking so long with this story. I recently hired a new beta reader, and we are just starting things off. I really have many more chapters to upload, but I want those looked at and edited before I publish the final product. So please have patience, and it will be rewarded.
> 
> EDIT (3/15/15): To answer a question, no, the Zero-Stars concept does not exist in the Soul Eater NOT canon. I created it because, well, it helps let the faculty know who's in NOT and who's in EAT. That's a ton of students they have to keep track of. Though, NOT students largely go by freshmen, sophomore, junior, and seniors. By the way, the Vanderbilts are juniors.


	13. Hard at Work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kid, Blackstar, Caius, and Maka are busy preparing for the field exam. Let's see what they are doing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.

**Hard at Work**  
  
_Month 1, Week 3, Day 1 (Monday, January 15th)_  
  
"So  _that's_  what you have planned for the field exam.”  
  
Stein and Noel sat inside the faculty lounge, waiting until it was close enough to the start of school before they would depart to their respective classrooms. A brief talk of current events had led to a discussion of the field exam’s procedures.  
  
"Yes, but I think I need three more helpers." Noel stated, sipping his black coffee.   
  
"I can talk to Sid and Gregory, but the third's one a tossup." Stein replied, adjusting his glasses as they shined in the light of the lounge.   
  
"I'll probably resort to Kathi. She's not hard to convince." Noel said unconcernedly, finishing off the rest of his drink.   
  
"Good luck with that." Stein said, standing from the regular wooden chairs and seating himself in his patented swivel chair. "I'm going to go get a head start now. I'll let you know of their answers." The doctor kicked off the edge of the table and jetted himself out of the room. The faculty lounge was the only room where the bottom of the door didn’t trip his chair, allowing him to keep rolling at high speeds. “I think I’ll see what Gregory’s up to first.”   
  
After a quick elevator ride to the one of the higher floors of the Academy, Stein's rolling slowly came to a stop when he saw a sign with the elaborately-written words 'Half Moon Class' on it. This was one of the four main homerooms for students involved in the EAT curriculum – the others being Crescent, Full, and Blue. Class Half Moon in particular was noted to have exceptional combat specialists, even among those in the school in general.   
  
"What are  _you_  doing here, Franken?"  
  
Stein turned around in his caster-wheel chair to see the person he was looking for and then some. Walking up to him was a 41-year-old, Hungarian man with grayish sky blue hair, a full moustache and goatee, wearing a simple lilac and metallic silver business suit with matching slacks and brown shoes. He scowled, taking out the pipe in his mouth as his royal blue eyes eyeballed Stein in disbelief.  
  
There were two people on either side of him, both of whom were of German descent. On the right was a seventeen-year-old girl with wavy, carnation pink hair and navy eyes. Her outfit consisted of a frilly, black, layered robe with a brooch tied in front, a white long-sleeved undershirt, white pants, and ballet flats. On the left was a seventeen-year-old boy with black, blue-tinted hair tied in a long ponytail and narrow, coral pink eyes. He wore a black sweater vest with a pale yellow dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a coral pink tie, and black dress pants and shoes.  
  
"Ah, Gregory, good to see you. The same with your children Meredith and Luther." Stein greeted, crossing his arms on the top of the chair's backrest and resting his chin on them.   
  
"Godchildren." Meredith and Luther mumbled inaudibly.  
  
"I repeat, why are you here?" Gregory questioned, crossing his arms.   
  
"Well, Professor Matilda, Noel has been teaching the Crescent Moon Class about Joint Resonance, and he needs some volunteers for a field examination this Friday." Stein explained, cranking his bolt clockwise. "Any chance you can help us?"  
  
"What's in it for me? For my students?" Gregory inquired suspiciously. While the question sounded inherently selfish, the Half Moon instructor didn't like the fact that Stein's class was apparently learning something that wasn't taught to his class. It didn't seem fair to leave everyone else out of this.   
  
"Well, not only will you be helping students get to the next level, but I believe Lord Death ordered Noel to do the same with your class." Stein answered with a shrug of his shoulders.   
  
Gregory closed his eyes and exhaled through his nose. "Fine. I shall lend a hand." He conceded. As long as his students, his warriors, were going to benefit from the same privileges, his own feelings mattered not. He prepared to continue on his way until the mad doctor spoke up again.  
  
"By the way, your transfer student has been doing well in my class." Stein stated.   
  
Gregory stopped parallel to Stein and looked at him again, eyes crisp like the skin of a tart green apple. “I don’t know who you are referring to. Those who leave my class tend to leave my memory.” Gregory remarked candidly. He only vaguely recalled someone leaving his class and deduced that must be the person Stein was talking about. As far as he was concerned, the students in Half Moon as of now were his only priority. He refrained from sneering as he thought in addition,  _"Just like how I care not about you or the rest of your pathetic class."_  
  
Stein clenched his fists, losing a bit of his cool, but did not do anything else. He always exhibited some paternal care toward his students in the Crescent Moon Class. So to hear Gregory basically disown a student he taught without a care in the world struck Stein personally. “My mistake then.”  
  
"Now, if you'll excuse us, we have class to begin. We'll see you Friday." The three brushed past Stein and entered the classroom with not another word.   
  
Stein sighed heavily, "Drama just never ceases to leave me alone."  


* * *

  
"You want me to do  _what_  now?!"  
  
Kathi's loud and outraged voice echoed throughout the library, prompting all of the readers to shush at her. She covered her mouth as she blushed in embarrassment, breaking one of the most sacred rules of a library. Noel stood before Kathi at her reception desk, staring blankly at her. However, the librarian knew better; she knew he was amused at her inadvertently rude outburst.   
  
"You want me to do that, Noel?!" Kathi questioned in a much quieter voice, "But I'm retired!"  
  
"You're only two years in." Noel reasoned, "For something like this, you'll be fine."  
  
"But what if I'm horribly rusty?" Kathi replied, falling into her seat and sinking into it.  
  
"Then ask Marie if she'll let you use her." Noel said matter-of-factly, "C'mon, Kathi, I'm running short on personnel, and the class needs this."  
  
Kathi weighed the options. After someone retired, especially from a place like the DWMA, no practice meant you could not perform at one hundred percent like before. However, there was the old saying ‘once you had it, you had it forever.’ In addition, she always liked helping out the students. Her generally positive reception as a librarian and helper made her pride swell up.   
  
With a heavy sight, Kathi looked at Noel dully, "Fine. I'll do it." Noel nodded, and Kathi almost felt like falling over. No smile or nothing to convey his appreciation.   
  
"Oh, and there's a chance I might need you again for when I teach the Correctional Class Joint Resonance too."   
  
" _EXCUSE ME_?!?!"  
  
" _SHHHH_!!!"  


* * *

  
Now that it was Monday, Class Crescent Moon hit the ground running. Teams tried their best to cover almost everything. Most of them went on different missions to expose them to a variety of situations. Some continued to train in order to get their combinations down pat. While there were definitely instances of disagreement, teamwork was essential, moreso than with Chain Resonance due to increased involvement and more intense concentration.   
  
Among those engaged in training were Kid and Blackstar in the woodlands. The Reaper shot blast after at the ninja, trying to test his speed. "You'll have to be faster than that, Blackstar! Mr. Ricardsen will use your slowness to his advantage."  
  
The Star Clan boy used his above-average speed to sidestep and dodge the many gunshots coming at him. "Too slow! I'm faster than your bullets!" Blackstar dug his foot into the ground and sprinted toward Kid, still avoiding his attacks. When close enough, he swung one of the chain-scythes at him. However, Kid used his own speed to evade the attack, and he closed the distance between him and Blackstar, striking him across his face with one of the pistols.   
  
Blackstar grunted in pain as the blunt end of pistol hit his jaw. The force made him fall backwards, but he forced himself into a roll and quickly recovered. Blackstar worked his jaw and sharply sucked in air to catch his breath. Perhaps it was time to change up tactics. "Tsubaki! Shuriken Mode!"  
  
"Right!" Tsubaki's chain-scythe form morphed into a giant shuriken upon Blackstar's command.  
  
"No use!" Kid exclaimed, going back to shooting Blackstar with both pistols. This time, Blackstar foresaw it, back-flipped out of the way, and threw the giant five-pointed star. The projectile grazed Kid across his right shoulder, forcing to the young Reaper to suck in breath and stop firing.   
  
Seizing the opportunity, Blackstar sprinted to Kid as he readied a punch, catching the shuriken with his free hand. "Take this!" Blackstar delivered a right hook with enough force to send the gunner back a significant distance. After landing on his back, Kid flipped back onto his knees with his back turned to Blackstar, placing the lower part of his face into the crook of his elbow.   
  
"Ha! Is that the best you got?" The Shadow Weapon Meister asked cockily, swiping his finger across his nose. He was proud that he was becoming more and more of a challenge for Kid, one of the few people who could consistently beat him. It was a step closer to surpassing the gods.   
  
"Plenty left." Still on his knees and still with his back turned, Kid bended backwards and started firing, shooting at Blackstar upside-down.   
  
Blackstar was found shocked at Kid’s dexterity, resulting in him getting hit by the initial salvo. “S-shoot!” He grunted, snapping out of it. Kid fired his pistols in different directions, forcing Blackstar to scramble around awkwardly to avoid the rest, screaming all the way. After running like an idiot for a while, Blackstar chucked the shuriken over at Kid again in an attempt to stop him like last time.  
  
"Not falling for it this time!" Using nothing but pure lower body strength given his unique position, Kid flipped himself forward when the shuriken came close enough. His feet tapped onto the surface of the weapon briefly, using it to give him an extra boost in height. After performing a couple of athletic twists in mid-air, he prepared one of his legs for a falling leg drop.   
  
Blackstar quickly flipped out of the way just in the nick of time, making Kid instead hit the ground and rupture it a little. "Missed." Kid huffed beneath his breath, springing back into a proper standing position.   
  
Blackstar swiped the sweat off his brow, focusing on Kid with hardened eyes. He needed some extra power, and he knew where to get it. "Tch. Now to get serious. Tsubaki, Enchanted Sword Mode."  
  
"Liz. Patty. Soul Resonance: Execution Mode."  
  
Tsubaki's Shuriken Mode transformed into the Enchanted Sword. As Blackstar gripped the handle, black tattoos appeared all over his face. The two pistols in Kid's hands changed into large twin cannons while black rods protruded from the back of his arms and shoulders. Blackstar narrowed his eyes as he crouched down, watching as Kid aimed the cannons at him.   
  
The seconds dragged on, nothing changing except the wind shuffling the grass. They sized each other up, figuring out how to unleash their attacks and the best time to do so. Their intense glares, gold meeting green, challenged them to make a move, to act impulsively, but their instincts kept them at bay.  
  
"Death Cannon."  
  
"Shadow☆Star!"  
  
Kid’s cannons fired a huge blast of energy, the resulting recoil making him slide several inches back. Blackstar's shadow became multiple tendrils and spikes, forming a sort of shield around their owner while others extended over to the oncoming blast. These volunteering tendrils formed a tunnel around the energy and then compressed around it. The forces of Death Cannon and Shadow☆Star coming together were enough to produce a great explosion, the woods shuddering from it. After the aftermath subsided, both Kid and Blackstar stood there panting heavily with their clothes and hair ragged.  
  
"Well…what do… you think?" Blackstar asked, huffing and puffing.   
  
Kid caught his breath before he tried to speak. "I…doubt that'll be enough…to beat whatever…Mr. Ricardsen has planned…" The Reaper forced himself to straighten up, aiming the twin cannons at Blackstar. "En guard."  
  
Blackstar grinned, ignoring his condition as he got into a battle stance, "Bring it on!"  
  
The two young continued their sparring and explosions similar to that one happened on more than one occasion. In testament to their stamina and endurance, their training went on all the way into the evening when exhaustion finally caught up to them.   
  
"This star's…all tuckered out now…" Blackstar said between breaths, sprawled out on the grass before managing to point a shaky finger to the sky as usual.   
  
Tsubaki had Blackstar's head in her lap, fanning him with a Japanese-style straw fan. "You should be. You did great, Blackstar." She told him with a smile as his hand fell limply back to Earth.   
  
"Well, a lot got done and all, but we still gotta do a Joint Resonance, and it's Monday." Liz reminded everyone.  
  
"Don't worry," Kid replied consolingly. Patty made a wide grin, for her meister's symmetry was thrown off from all the damage the spar had done. She was waiting for him to notice and for the show to begin. "We’ll begin Wednesday and perfect it Thursday. Right now, we're stretching out our threshold for the unknown."  
  
"Whatever. You guys are the ones doing the dirty work." Liz yawned. Tsubaki put away her fan and picked up Blackstar piggyback style. Even his supposedly boundless stamina had its limits.   
  
"Well, we had better go. It's getting late, and we still have school tomorrow." Kid announced as he began walking with everyone else following.    
  
"And we gotta do all this all over again tomorrow~" Patty said melodically, earning a groan from her older sister.   
  
Kid chuckled. For once, he did not mind engaging in something that contrasted his usually refined air. In fact, this helped him get closer to Blackstar. They didn’t start off well because of Blackstar's insufferable egotism. But, as the months went by, working together with him more, Kid grew accustomed to him like Maka.   
  
He never told any of his friends this, but when he first started affiliating himself with his father's school, many other students at DWMA refused to get close to Kid solely because he was Death's son. He wasn't quite sure why. Could it have been his and his father's imposing nature? Their abilities? Their renown and fame?  
  
It wasn't until Kid met Liz and Patty that he began feeling camaraderie in spite of their obvious differences. Then, he really experienced friendship when he met Maka, Soul, Blackstar, Tsubaki, Crona, and so on. Interacting with these various people made him feel closer to humanity in general. After a while, he noticed other students were more likely to ask him questions, to seek advice, and to say hi and bye in passing – none of that happened before. They saw Death the Kid, not a Grim Reaper.   
  
That was one of his prime motivations as a Grim Reaper and Lord Death's eventual successor. He wanted to help and protect the people who accepted him. He wanted to create the perfect weapons, to create the perfect society, and to create the perfect world, all in the name of peace.   
  
_"And it starts with this field exam, if Mr. Ricarden's claims of preparing us for the real world are correct."_  Kid thought resolutely.   


* * *

  
By evening, most were long done with their training, ready to eat and sleep off the soreness and frustration. However, one team prepared to do the exact opposite thanks to prior engagements getting in the way. At the apartment of Maka and Soul, the two finished last-minute tidying and now waited for their partners to arrive.   
  
Blair, in her cat form, lied lazily on the coffee table and released a quiet yawn, "I'm bored. Why won't you guys play with me?"  
  
"Because, Blair," Maka explained, sitting on the couch reading a book, "We have some important stuff to do in a minute."  
  
Blair's ears perked up, "Ooo~ Can I provide entertainment~?"  
  
Maka closed the book sharply and glared at the magical feline, "Absolutely not! I want this to go smoothly because I want to pass this field exam Friday!” That, and the last thing she wanted was Blair putting the moves on either Caius or Soul – or even both of them, Maka shuddered to think – just to satisfy her boredom.   
  
Blair whined in disappointment. This was just like everyone in the coming days of the Super Written Exam. Nobody was available. Her tail perked up when her body signaled her of something. “Oop! Bathroom time.”  She then jumped off the table and trotted to the restroom.  
  
Maka sucked in air through her nostrils tensely. Blair was out with her girlfriends the study session Caius and Claudia went to, so neither of them actually knew she lived here. She wanted no issues, but with Blair around, they might be inevitable. Just then, she heard knocks on the door and perked up. "Soul! Check and see if that's them!" She requested, speaking loud enough so that her partner could hear.   
  
"On it, Maka!" Soul called back, jogging from the kitchen and heading toward the door. He opened the door and, sure enough, it was their teammates. “Welcome back to our humble abode, you two.”   
  
Caius wore a red, white, and navy blue plaid button-up with beige slacks while Claudia still had on the canary yellow dress from earlier today.  " _Soul_!" Claudia exclaimed, springing forth and clinging to him in a hug. Soul dropped his head tiredly, wishing she would stop doing that. "Do you like my new dress, darling?" She asked, looking up at him, purposely giving him the “puppy dog eyes” in an attempt to look cute.  
  
Only when Claudia pointed it out that Soul realized she was indeed clothed in new garbs. "Hm. Looks cool."   
  
Claudia giggled like schoolgirl, flattered by the characteristic compliment from Soul. Caius reached out and grabbed Claudia by her dress’s neckline and peeled her off of Soul. "I would like to come in and get to work _please_.” He said, shooting the rich girl a glare with bloodshot eyes. Crush or not, Claudia wasn’t about to ruin this for him.      
  
Soul smirk humoredly as Claudia rapidly nodded like an obedient little girl. Hopefully that put an end to her shenanigans, at least for tonight. "Come in then." Soul stepped aside and allowed them entry.   
  
Maka’s eyes brightened up when she saw them. “Hey, guys!” She greeted, getting up from the couch and walking over to them, “You ready?”   
  
“Sure are,” Caius replied and then asked, “So, what’s the first thing we’re gonna do?”  
  
“Maka said she wants to figure out what Mr. Ricardsen wants us to do.” Soul answered, closing the door behind them.  
  
“That makes sense.” Claudia approved, “After all, a field exam could be anything, and we certainly won’t be sitting on our butts writing.”   
  
Maka nodded. “Exactly. Now let’s get to work!”   
  
_An hour later_  
  
“ _No, you’re wrong_!”  
  
Most unproductive hour ever. Instead of actually training, Maka and Caius engaged in a heated debate about the subject at hand, deliberating like stereotypical businessmen and businesswomen. They sat at the two couches surrounding the coffee table, facing across from each other. Papers with writings, guesses, hypotheses, and sketches littered the seats, floor, and table.  
  
"I'm telling you, Maka, it's an obstacle course! What else could it be?" Caius argued, showing her his crudely drawn description of a possible obstacle course along with a paragraph explaining his reasoning, “It’s  _obvious_!”  
  
"No way! It has to be more than that! Like another test or something unexpected like a special mission!" Maka retorted, pointing to a probability chart on the easel set up beside her. She even had an essay prepared right in front of her.  
  
Soul sat in a rocking chair near the entrance to the kitchen, letting the two Meisters do their thing. This wasn’t at all what he expected, but he supposed they could afford it seeing as they had a Joint Resonance in reserve. With lidded eyes, the Demon Scythe petted Blair in her cat form as she purred, finally having someone to play with.   
  
"It can't be another test. Why would he waste his time doing that?" Caius disputed, "He said to bring our A-game, and we'll be graded more strictly. Look, I know Mr. Ricardsen. An obstacle course suits his personality. That's where we have to use our teamwork to make sure we get out alive!"  
  
Maka shook her head. "Perhaps, but I think there's more to it than that. I mean, Mr. Ricardsen has so far proven to be unpredictable. We need to think outside the box. Come up with something new and unique."  
  
Caius could agree with that. Having more than one technique in their repertoire would make them more flexible for the field exam. "Alright. Let's try that."  
  
"I swear, those two are too smart for their own good." Soul groused, yawning a little.   
  
Blair pawed at Soul's unoccupied hand, "Soooooul~ Would you be a dear and rub lower~? Pretty pleeeeeeaaase?" The white-haired Weapon shifted his hand from the top of her head to the base of her neck. "Lower." She commanded, and Soul started rubbing her back. "A liiiiiiiiittle bit lower~"  
  
"Jeez, Blair, where the heck is your itch?" Soul asked irritably, descending his hand one last time.   
  
All of a sudden, in a puff of purple smoke, Blair suddenly transformed into her human form. She was completely naked save for her hat, and Soul's hand was right on one of her butt cheeks. "Right there, you naughty boy!" Blair squealed, wrapping her arms around Soul's neck and pulling his face straight into her bare cleavage.   
  
" _Blair, what the hell_?!" Soul's scream was muffled as he flailed his arms, desperately trying to get some oxygen.   
  
Just then, Claudia emerged from the kitchen with a plate of cookies in her hands. Eyes closed, a bright smile was on her face, ready to serve. "Oh Soul~ I made you some co-" Her smile disappeared and her eyes widened to size of dinner plates when she saw a nude kitty lady upon the Demon Scythe.   
  
The magical cat looked at Claudia and waved at her unconcernedly. "Hiiiii~ We're just having some fun~"  
  
A resounding, extremely loud scream suddenly shook the entire apartment complex. Caius and Maka jumped so badly that they knocked over almost everything as they fell to the floor. Many lights came on as angry residents complained violations of noise ordinance.   
  
" _Get away from him, you slut_!" Claudia threw the plate of cookies at Blair. However, her cat reflexes allowed her to easily hop out of the way as the plate accidentally hit Soul in the head, knocking him out. "Oh-my-God! Soul-I'm-so-sorry!" Claudia quickly apologized, freaking out as Blair landed on the floor in her witch outfit.   
  
Maka stomped over to the scene with Caius and raised her voice to exert her authority, " _What_  is going on here?!"  
  
"This hussy was forcing Soul to do something perverted to her!" Claudia answered, pointing at Blair accusingly.   
  
"Don't get mad because he likes a  _real_  woman." Blair taunted, putting her arms behind her head and flaunting her very curvaceous figure.   
  
Claudia gritted her teeth. "More like a fat whore!"  
  
That insult actually struck one of Blair's nerves as she gasped deeply. " _I’m not fat, you brat_!" She retorted, shooting a sharp glare at the shorter girl. Claudia smirked, proud she was able to make Blair drop her superior attitude.  
  
Maka rubbed her temples, suppressing the urge to snap both of their necks. Caius took his glasses off as he dragged his hand down his face, sharing her sentiments. Soul groaned as he regained consciousness, rubbing the spot on his head where the plate hit him. "W-What hit me?" He then saw a perfectly good cookie lying on the armrest of the rocking chair. "Oh, hey, a cookie. That's cool." He picked it up and took a bite out of it.  
  
…  
  
…  
  
When Soul screamed, fire spewed out of his mouth with greater intensity than a flamethrower. All of the tension within the apartment room immediately vanished as they watched Soul run around the room like a chicken with his head cut off. Maka rushed to the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of water, and went over to the Soul. The Demon Scythe accepted it as if it was the last one on Earth and downed it in a single gulp. "Th-Thank you…" He muttered appreciatively, burping out smoke.   
  
"You're welcome," Maka replied, swatting the cloud of smoke away. Then, she turned her attention to Blair and Claudia, "Alright, now of which you were baking cookies and made a mess in the kitchen?"  
  
"I baked the cookies. I did it all by myself!" Claudia declared, placing her fists on her hips and puffing out her chest. She then placed one finger on her chin and looked up thoughtfully, "Although, I probably put too much cinnamon in it…"   
  
_"Or you used the hot sauce bottle instead."_  Caius thought, rolling his eyes.  
  
"Sooooooo, how's the plan coming along?" Claudia asked, not noticing Maka twitch.   
  
"We settle on creating something unique that brings together everything Mr. Ricardsen has taught us. But, there’s the issue of actually doing it." Caius explained, shaking his head.   
  
"Maybe I can help~" Blair offered, waggling her eyebrows at him.   
  
_MAKA CHOP!_  
  
" _No_! You've helped enough! Now leave and don't come back until we're done!" Maka demanded, holding up her trademark green book. Blair whined with a pout as she held her head, jumping out of the open living room window. Maka then turned to the Weapons, "And, I don't know whether you guys know this or not, but we're serious about this. We're at a standstill, and we need to come up with something otherwise we won’t be ready for whatever he’ll throw at us, and we could fail! And I'll be  _damned_  if I failed this exam!"  
  
"Well, what do you want us to do about it? You two are the smart ones, not to mention the meisters." Soul questioned.   
  
"First, clean up the mess in the kitchen." The Scythe Meister ordered.   
  
"What is this 'clean' you speak of?" Claudia asked, titling her head.   
  
" _Claudia_!" Maka berated, thinking she was joking.   
  
"Ok, ok. I'll...'clean.'" Claudia replied. She was dead serious about her question, but she didn’t want to suffer the wrath of a Maka Chop.   
  
"While you two clean up, Caius and I will be making some battle plans for us to try out. Once we're done, we’re going out to start training. Come on, Caius, let's get back to work." Maka turned around and went back into the living room as Caius followed her.  
  
Once they were gone, Claudia turned to Soul and asked him, "So how do you clean things?"  
  
"You're kidding, right?" Soul replied in disbelief, staring at her dully. With a weak chuckle, she sheepishly shook her head, and Soul almost felt like falling over. Then again, Claudia was a rich, spoiled brat who wouldn't seem out of place in the Full Moon Class. Well, Soul had zero intention of cleaning up a mess he didn’t make. "Well, how about I teach you?"  
  
Claudia's eyes brightened up. "Really? You're going to teach me?"  
  
"Yep. But, before that, do you promise to follow my instructions without reservation or objection?" Soul probed. Unless she specifically agreed to those terms, there was no helping her. He knew, at some point, her aristocratic tendencies would get in the way.    
  
Claudia stared at him briefly before looking off to the side. She had a right to her own opinions, especially about something as unknown as cleaning. “Umm, that depends."   
  
Soul frowned. That statement confirmed his worries. However, a light bulb went off in his head. He was going to use her little crush on him to his advantage. "C'mon, Claudia." Soul kneeled down and flash her a handsome, charming smile did not at all expose his sharp teeth. He gently cupped her chin so that his ruby red eyes were locked with her teal ones. "Please?"  
  
Claudia felt weak in her knees as she blushed profusely. She only dreamed of Soul giving her this type of attention. Perhaps if she met his demands, this wouldn’t be the last time. Done swooning, she finally replied, “Very well. I'll follow your instructions, and I will not complain or whine or object."  
  
_"Thank the Lord."_  Soul groused in his mind, suppressing a roll of his eyes. "Perfect. Now let’s get to work."   
  
_Five minutes later…_  
  
" _I’m tired_!  _I’m done with this! I don't want to do it anymore_!" Claudia griped, rolling around on the floor.   
  
"I thought you weren't gonna whine! All we're doing is wiping down the countertop!" Soul shouted, his eyes blank and sharp teeth bared.   
  
"But it's taking so looooong!" The Moncharmin girl whined childishly, sitting up, "Plus, it's dirtying my nails."  
  
Soul exhaled sharply, trying to keep his patience. If he gave up now, this would never get done, and Claudia would never learn a valuable domestic skill most people should have. "Claudia, I'm trying to teach you something. You said you wouldn't do this."  
  
"Fiiiine.”   
  
_Five more minutes later…_  
  
"Sooooooouuuuuuul! Are we done yet?" Claudia asked. Her whole body felt tingly after seeing strains discoloring surfaces, and her hands were starting to prune from all the water. This kind of stuff was supposed to be reserved for servants. But, new the experience was, she did gain a sense of empowerment eliminating those strains, those imperfections. She felt like she did something.   
  
Soul told her patiently, "All we've done is clean the countertop and the stove. Now, we have to put the dishes in the dishwater." He pulled down the door to the dishwater to reveal the empty racks inside. "Take the plates and pots and put them in here snugly. Then, put in the washing powder and turn it on."  
  
Claudia nodded, receiving her orders. She grimaced when she saw the plethora of dirty dishes in the sink. Her hands would have to touch all that filth. She grabbed a dish with two fingers each time and gently placed them in the appropriate racks, groaning under her breath all the while.   
  
Soul looked over to the exit of the kitchen and thought to himself,  _"Let's hope Maka and Caius get something soon."_  
  
Back over to the meisters, Maka was suddenly struck with a stroke of genius after looking over some notes and remembering past battles. "I got it!” Caius gave her a look, beckoning her to continue. “Okay, so we’re trying to do something different and unique, right?”  
  
"Correct.”  
  
"Well, Professor Stein and Mr. Ricardsen said Joint Resonance is a very sensitive process, and you know how a standard one already works," Maka explained. She paused in case Caius was lost, but he nodded. "Okay, so remember about 'dominant characteristics?' What if something else was the dominant characteristic? How different would our Joint Resonance be if we put something else into the equation?"  
  
"Oh, I see what you're saying." Caius replied, "We just put a special ability or something to the forefront when we activate Joint Resonance."  
  
"Exactly." Maka responded, "Okay, here's what Soul and I can do. I have an Anti-Demon Wavelength, a type of wavelength that acts as a barrier against Madness and darkness. Soul can manipulate people's wavelength by treating them as music."  
  
"And I have Soul Blaze, an innate ability of my family that allows us to resonate with the environment and produce wavelength flames as a result. As for Claudia…uhh…" Caius racked his brain trying to remember, or even figure out, what was Claudia's capabilities as a Demon Weapon other than transformation. "Never mind. I don't think she has anything."  
  
_"Figures."_  Maka thought, rolling her eyes. All that bark she had and no bite to back it up. "Anyway, let's put all of that together. Though, we're gonna need to do Chain Resonance so that Soul can tap into your wavelength. Like we did in Madrid."  
  
"I remember," Caius replied, recalling the joint effort needed to defeat the Gemini, "That wasn’t the first time I did Chain Resonance. I had to do it a few times in the Half Moon Class."   
  
Maka blinked. "Half Moon Class? I thought you were with Claudia this whole time?"

"Yes, I was partners with her for these past two years, but while she was in Crescent Moon, I was in Half Moon," Caius explained, "My first mission as a Class Crescent Moon student was on New Year’s Day hunting Scorpio, but I transferred five weeks prior to the mission. Though, because of Christmas Vacation, I’ve only been to class for a handful of days."  
  
"Oh, I see." Maka registered that as another reason why Caius was so unknown. But, they were getting off task. It was time to test this theory. "C'mon. Let's go get our partners."  
  
Caius and Maka exited the living room and went into the kitchen to retrieve Soul and Claudia. To their surprise, it was spotless. Soul had successfully taught Claudia the value and labor of cleaning. Then, the team went out to the street just outside the apartment complex.  
  
"Okay, now listen closely, everyone." Maka spoke after twirling the scythe a bit, "We're going to do another Joint Resonance but with a twist. First, we're going to do Chain Resonance so we can synch up. After that, Soul, we need you to manipulate both mine and Caius's wavelengths. Okay?"  
  
In the spiritual dimension of his weapon form, Soul stepped through a door and entered the Black Room, a swanky but macabre room within in his consciousness. Upon entry, Soul's outfit changed into a pin-striped black suit with a red dress shirt, black tie, and matching black shoes. "Heh. A new tune mixed with an old one. That'll make a cool melody."  
  
"Chain Resonance, go!" Maka and Caius closed their eyes as light blue soul barriers appeared around them. Then, a single strand of soul energy leaked out of them and connected together, causing the soul barriers to turn into a dull whitish gray in color.   
  
Soul sensed the successful connection between the two meisters, listening to it as if music was being played. "Okay. I know Maka's Anti-Demon Wavelength is a G. So what about Caius?" The pianist let everything flow into him as he subconsciously placed his fingers on the keyboard. "An A, huh?"  
  
"Mediation of the Soul." He slammed his forefingers on the two keys as the piano released a loud drone of music. Soul began to play a distinct song, transmitting Maka's Anti-Demon Wavelength and Caius's Soul Blaze to each other as well as mixing them together. The piano released cries and groans of varying pitches, all working together to play a surprisingly dark, musical masterpiece.   
  
"Let's go, Joint Resonance!"   
  
Soul again slammed his fingers on the G and A keys immediately after the Joint Resonance was initialized. Instead of streams coming out like usual, the soul barriers expanded and fused together instantaneously, skipping an entire step thanks to Soul’s efficient piano playing. A massive outpouring of white light and blue flames surrounded the two meisters afterwards.  
  
"Annnd  _done_!" Soul played one last, sustained note on the piano. When it was done, the light shattered and the flames disappeared. The outline of Maka's and Caius's bodies were coated in the color of each other's respective soul. Soul and Claudia retained the basic shape of their weapon forms; however, their composition was completely different from normal. Soul's scythe form was entirely made of blue wavelength flames with a white outline while Claudia's lance form was of vibrant light with a blue outline. "I call this beauty 'Donum Dei.'"  
  
"Yes! Yes! We did it! It's a success!" Maka cheered, jumping up and down. She then planted a foot on the ground and swung her weapon in an arc, leaving behind a trail of wavelength flames.   
  
"Beautiful! With this, we'll assuredly get high markings on our field exam!" Caius exclaimed, unable to contain the large smile on his face. He jabbed the modified lance in different directions and watched as trails and bursts of light followed its movements.   
  
Back inside the Black Room, Soul placed the fallboard over the piano's keyboard, standing up as he flexed his tired fingers. "At least we finally got something done, and it's just Monday too." He then yawned, feeling as if they had done enough for the day and desperately wanted some sleep. Turning on his heel, Soul began approaching the door.  
  
"Good work, Soul. Let's play again some other time~"  
  
Soul froze up for a moment and looked over his shoulder. The Little Demon that always resided in the Black Room was now sitting on the edge of the piano, grinning that sharp-toothed grin of his as he waved at the Demon Scythe. Soul felt unease because he did not recall seeing the creature immediately like he always did when he stepped in this particular time.   
  
He sneered and faced forward again, "Tch. Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Soul closed the door behind him, drowning out the deep, evil chuckling of the Little Demon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT (3/16/2015): Dorum Dei has been changed to Donum Dei, which means "Gift of God." This whole time I thought I typed it right when I didn't.


	14. Rumble in the Jungle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kim, Jackie, Tsuji, and Marcellus go on an early morning mission to the legendary Amazon Rain Forest. Too bad their targets are more than capable of turning this forest against them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.

**Rumble in the Jungle**  
  
_Month 1, Week 3, Day 2 (Tuesday, January 16th)_  
  
Kim yawned for a good six seconds, hating that she was up so early. However, the Girls' Dorm was particularly rowdy this morning, and it drove her crazy. If only her affinity wasn’t nondestructive. Regardless, Kim had to get out of there, so she called Tsuji and told him to meet them in the forest so they could do some productive training for the field exam. "Okay, let's begin. Jackie?" Her partner nodded, dematerialized into a stream of fire, and subsequently transformed into her Demon Lantern form.  
  
"Default Form, Marcellus." Tsuji commanded. With a prolonged yawn, the African-American teen changed into his Demon Bow form and landed in Tsuji's hand.  
  
"Okay, since we spent all day yesterday working on Chain Resonance, we can finally get on with Joint Resonance." Kim said, working her neck.   
  
"Yeah. Finally." Tsuji let out a sigh. Chain Resonance was something neither he or nor his sister knew. Thankfully, he had Kim there to educate him, opening up a myriad of possibilities later on in life as a DWMA student. "Okay, for our Joint Resonance, we gotta do something that makes sense but gets the job done. You know what I'm sayin'?"  
  
"Yeah, I get you." Kim replied. She then looked down at lantern and said, "We're gonna do Change "Pixie," Jackie." She grabbed the small bar attached to the chain extending from the top of the lantern. She placed the bar into the groove on top of the lantern, allowing it to lengthen to its maximum span. The bottom of the lantern opened up and spewed out a copious amount of fire as Kim mounted it. The girl rode the transformed weapon in the style of a broomstick, hovering in midair.   
  
"All right, what do you guys have?" Kim asked, looking down at her teammate.  
  
Tsuji stared at the transformation and raised an eyebrow, "Well, I ain't got no means of flight that makes me look like Sabrina the Teenage Witch," He failed to notice Kim cringe. "But! Marcellus can do some stuff called Mode Change."  
  
"What's that?" Jacqueline inquired.   
  
"Tell 'em, Marce." Tsuji requested, looking at the mechanical bow with a smile.   
  
Marcellus let out yet another yawn. Like Kim, he wasn’t a morning person himself. "Alright, alright, listen up, girls. Mode Change is sort of like what you two just did in laymen's terms. Even though what I'm in now is my go-to weapon form, called the Default Form, it's not the only one I got. Through manual adjustments, my weapon form can be converted into related states, which would be types of bows."  
  
"Except Javelin Form, which clearly ain't a type of bow." Tsuji added in, performing a quick Mode Change to show the ladies Marcellus's Javelin Form. "We also got Longbow Form and Crossbow Form." Tsuji showed Kim and Jacqueline both forms and how Mode Change worked in order to get them. In Crossbow Form, his weapon form became its namesake in which the crystal ball was mounted on a silver and dark blue mechanical stock. In place of where the limbs would be was a boomerang-shaped blade.  
  
"That's cool." Kim said with a shrug, "Well, whatever form you use, make sure it complements Jackie's. We're mid- to long-range fighters."  
  
"So are we, so that ain't a problem!" Tsuji replied with a grin. To change things up, he converted Marcellus into his Javelin Form. They used Default Form too much anyway. "Okay, let's go ahead and do Joint Resonance already. Marcellus, you better not slack off on us!"  
  
"Not much of a choice I got."  
  
Both pairs manifested their souls. Tsuji's soul was chartreuse in color with several downward protrusions that mimicked his hairstyle. Kim's soul was pink, possessing a hat with tanuki ears. Then, strings of soul energy came out from their souls, slowly gravitating toward one another. However, before they could touch, the strings snapped back, and the soul barriers popped explosively. Tsuji was knocked to the ground from the force while Kim narrowly fell off her ride.  
  
Jacqueline felt it from even inside her weapon form. “W-What was that?!”   
  
"Are you sure  _you_  aren't the one slacking off, Tsuji?" Marcellus asked cheekily, gnawing on the stick of his finished lollipop.  
  
"Nobody asked you!" Tsuji brought the javelin up to his face to glare at the crystal ball before doing an athletic springing kick to bring himself back to his feet.   
  
Kim steadied herself on her weapon again, shaking her head to alleviate some of her dizziness. While she had an idea why the Joint Resonance attempt failed, seeing as she and Kilik did it fine, she wasn't going to immediately assume it. "Well, let's try it again. We have to get this done."  
  
_One hour later…_  
  
" _Why can't we get this right_?!"  
  
Tsuji fell on his back as he raked his hands through his inky black hair. Kim had a similarly exasperated expression. Every time they tried Joint Resonance, the strings would continue to snap back as if they were repulsed by each other. In other words, their morning resulted in zero overall progress.   
  
Jacqueline checked her cell phone to look up the time. "Well, that's gonna have to be it. Class will start soon, and you know Stein doesn't tolerate tardiness."   
  
"You want my honest opinion?" Tsuji said as he sat up, "I really don't want to go to school today."  
  
Still laid out on the ground, Marcellus unhesitatingly raised his hand. "Seconded."   
  
"In that case, let's go find a mission." Kim suggested as she stood up.   
  
"If we can, let's find one that's somewhat faraway," Marcellus got on his feet and crunched down his lollipop, spitting out the bare stick. He fished inside his jacket for another as he continued, "That way, we can catch up on our sleep and regain some energy."  
  
"I agree. That'll increase our efficiency." Jacqueline said, purposely quoting an old saying of hers. Kim sent her a cheeky smirk; she knew that phrase too. “Don’t look at me that way.” She said, not even sparing Kim a glance.  
  


* * *

  
_Mission Location: Amazon Rain Forest  
Mission Description: Evil Humans known as the Twin Gentlemen are inhabiting the Amazon Rain Forest. Find and eliminate both of them. Be extra careful not to disturb the biomass of the Amazon Rain Forest.   
Mission Difficulty: B Rank  
Special Notes: The Twin Gentlemen are also capable of transforming into a Monster form. They were last spotted in the Peruvian Amazon, so this may very well be our last chance to catch them or else they will migrate into the more remote parts.  
Status: Taken_  
  
As their plane travelled to South America, Kim, Jacqueline, Tsuji, and Marcellus barely talked. They used the time to catch up on their sleep and relax without the stress of school on their minds. They had an eight-hour flight ahead of them with their destination being Iquitos, Peru. That city was chosen because it was within the Amazon. That way, they could just step right into the middle of their mission site and get to work.   
  
Eventually, their flight landed in Iquitos at about 4 PM in the afternoon, the best time of the day. The sprawling, cosmopolitan city was full of people engaging in activities of economy, culture, entertainment, art, and commerce. Most of its cityscape was characterized by European and Amazonian style buildings with ceramic tiles, like Iglesia Matriz de Iquitos, and by its many tourist sites, such as the busy Belen Market.   
  
After very brief sightseeing, Kim, Jacqueline, Tsuji, and Marcellus caught a ride on one of the city's patented  _pequepeque_ , a small public motorized boat meant for travel along the Peruvian Amazon due to the fact that Iquitos was inaccessible by land. Soon, they were dropped off at a part of the jungle, and they ventured deeper into the rainforest.   
  
It was a legendary sight to behold. The Sun struck the Amazon rainforest just right, showcasing just how perfectly green the jungle was. The warm but humid climate was welcomed; nothing like the arid desert Death City was in. The Amazon rainforest's unparalleled biodiversity soon showed itself the farther the students walked into it, spotting animals such as scarlet macaws and giant tree frogs moving from branch to branch. They even noticed in the Amazon River, through the thick foliage, a dolphin jumping out of the water briefly.   
  
Presently, the team walked along a stone pathway cutting through a part of jungle. "I can't believe our targets would hide in a place like this." Kim said with a tone of disgust. Evil Humans had no business disturbing a gorgeous place like the Amazon rainforest.   
  
"Yeah, but you heard the boater," Tsuji reminded her, "This place is  _massive_. This is like the perfect hiding spot. Ain't no one gonna be able to find them as they jump tourists."  
  
"Well, good thing we have a sensor on our team." Jacqueline said, briefly eyeing at the indifferent Marcellus. The Demon Lantern then sighed. "But what concerns me is what if they're in a remote spot? We'll actually have to go  _in_  the jungle. And the mission said not to disturb the biomass."  
  
"I already know that's going to be the case, so everyone better get ready for it." Marcellus said, shaking his head, garnering frustrated noises from his fellow students. He was just being realistic. He stopped walking as he placed a hand on his neck and cracked it. "So, let me go ahead and confirm that right quick." Kim, Tsuji, and Jacqueline stopped too as the older teen concentrated and activated his Wavelength Sonar. The many animals around appeared on his sonar, but their individual wavelengths were small enough to be negligible. "Hm. We might need to go into the sky, I can barely pick up on anything."  
  
"Done deal." Kim said, looking at Jacqueline and nodding. She transformed into her lantern form, and Kim subsequently utilized Change "Pixie" to turn Jackie into a broomstick-esque state. Marcellus transformed into his bow form in order to decrease the load. Tsuji hopped onto the available space behind Kim, and she lifted off, heading into the sky.   
  
The aerial view provided a fantastic panorama of the Amazon Rainforest and the Amazon River. It was almost like art: varying shades of green meshed together in perfect harmony with the river being an unexpected, contrasting shade of blue to make everything stand out. The team spotted some of the avian wildlife flying around in flocks, moving from one patch of trees to the next.   
  
"This view though, man." Tsuji remarked, marveling everything left and right. He was snapping several photos of the view with his cell phone for future safekeeping.   
  
"Yeah, you get to go to many places in the DWMA." Kim spoke, keeping her eyes forward as she manned her ride.   
  
_"Shoot, the Netherlands, now the Amazon? I see that."_  Tsuji said in his mind, putting away his cell phone after getting enough pictures.   
  
"Okay, let's get back on track, you two." Jacqueline cautioned, "Marcellus, are you picking up on anything?"  
  
"Not yet, but the readings on my sonar are changing." He answered back. The aerial position certainly helped. His sonar was less crowded with the wavelengths of the animals in spite of their insignificance. Marcellus understood the lack of notable activity was due to the sheer size of the area. And this was just the Peruvian Amazon. God forbid the Twin Gentlemen migrating to the much vaster Brazilian Amazon.   _"This might take forever."_  
  
"Something wrong?" Kim questioned, hearing the Demon Bow's heavy sigh.   
  
"Hm? Oh, no. It's noth—” Marcellus was silenced when his Wavelength Sonar picked up on a dense wavelength. "Trouble! 10 o'clock!"   
  
Tsuji smirked hungrily, "It's ya'll ass now. We found you~”   
  
"It's not stationary though. It's… coming toward us!?"   
  
A reddish blast came out of nowhere, whizzing by the meisters at extremely fast speeds. Kim was so surprised that she almost lost control, veering left and right at an erratic rate. Tsuji almost fell off, but thanks to his reflexes, he was able to grab onto the pole with his available hand, bracing himself against the wind as Kim tried to regain control.   
  
"I can't believe this!" Kim exclaimed, gritting her teeth as she tightened her grip around Jacqueline’s pole, "They found us before we found them!"  
  
“ _Here comes another_!" Marcellus announced urgently, this one appearing on his sonar at an even faster rate than the last.   
  
However, despite prior warning, Kim was unable to react quickly enough. This blast scored a direct hit, knocking both Kim and Tsuji off the broomstick. Marcellus slipped out of Tsuji's grasp and, with no one to operate her, Jacqueline soon plummeted as well. The bloodcurdling screams of the falling teens echoed throughout the Amazon, making the flocks of birds and groups of animals scatter in surprise.   
  
Within the confines of the jungle, the attackers celebrated their bull's-eye.   
  


* * *

  
"Motherf— _Ow_! Son of a— _Gah_!  _Aahhhh_!!!"   
  
Tsuji's body continuously hit tree branch after tree branch after falling through the emergent canopy. Every vine he grabbed on broke, forcing him to continue his descent. Close to the ground, he spotted a particularly thick branch coming up next. He immediately placed his hands over the junction of his thighs. Upon impact, his hands accepted the brunt of it.   
  
Tsuji smirked victoriously despite the throbbing pain in his hands, "Better my hands than my nuts."   
  
Something very hard and metallic then collided with Tsuji's head, making him fall over and hit the ground below. The object clattered against the ground beside him, glowed, and then reverted to a human form.  
  
"Thank goodness that was there to break my fall." Jacqueline breathed a sigh of relief, dusting off her skirt. However, in her perspective, she was out of the frying pain and into the fire. She was separated from Kim in the expansive Amazon jungle with no means of contact. Her eyes dropped. She and Kim had been inseparable over the years, so she was already feeling sad to be away from her. “Well, I can’t just stand here.” She took a step and almost tripped when she stepped on something not part of the ground.   
  
"Well thanks for making my concussion worse!" Tsuji exclaimed, rolling over and shooting her a dry glare after she realized he was lying there.   
  
"O-Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" Jacqueline quickly gave him some space and held out her hand for him. Tsuji accepted it and was helped to his feet. "Well, I'm glad to know I'm not alone."   
  
"True that." Tsuji then closed his eyes as reality dawned upon him. "Buuuut,” His eyebrow twitched as he reared his head back and shouted to the heavens above, " _We're freaking lost in the middle of the goddamn Amazon_!"   
  
Birds scattered once more as Tsuji's incensed voice carried over in echoes.   
  
Jacqueline sighed, silently sharing the Bow Meister's sentiments. "Don't remind me."   
  
Tsuji put his hands in his pockets and shifted his weight onto one foot. "Well, looks like you and me are stuck together 'til something happens."   
  
"Well, we should start walking." Jacqueline suggested. Before she even took one step, Tsuji grabbed her arm to stop her. "Huh? What's wrong?"  
  
"And go where?" Tsuji asked, releasing her, "Phones ain't got no service out here, so we can't call nobody. We don’t know where those Evil Humans are. And, to top it off, our sensor is nowhere in sight, and Kim can't fly without you."  
  
"Well, we can't just sit here!" Jacqueline turned to completely face him again. "What if someone attacks us out of the blue like just then?"  
  
Tsuji opened his mouth to argue back, no words came out. He realized how much sense Jacqueline made. "Eh, true. A moving target is hard to hit." He crossed his arms and cocked his head. “So just… walk?”   
  
"I guess so."  
  
With that, the two teens started traversing the jungle. They were way off path, in the middle of the rainforest wildlife. The canopy of trees and leaves provided enough shade and filtered the harsh rays of sunlight. Jacqueline and Tsuji walked carefully; anything dangerous or poisonous could be resting on the ground. It was almost like a hiking trip, having to take long strides and, at times, climb over obstacles that obstructed their path.   
  
After the two decided to stop for a minute, Tsuji took one last look up above and pulled out his cell phone. It was low on batteries, and the clock told him it was well into the late afternoon. He swallowed silently. If this mission went on into the evening, they had trouble. "Pray to God that we can find them before sundown."   
  
"Before we lose light period." Jacqueline responded as Tsuji put away his phone. She had read somewhere that after a certain time the lower levels of the Amazon rainforest lost all sunlight. Sure, she could provide light being a lantern, but that was just one problem out of many.  She leaned against the bark of a tree and sat down on the ground. Her aching feet appreciated the rest. Tsuji followed her example, sitting against a tree on the other side and facing her.   
  
"I guess this is just typical DWMA work, right?" Tsuji asked, trying to spark up a conversation with her.   
  
Jacqueline shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah. You don't know what you're getting into until you're out in the field."  
  
Tsuji laughed. "I've just been on only a few missions, and I can see that." His prerequisite missions with Rowena were pretty cut-and-dry. The Netherlands and Amazon Rain Forest missions, not so much. "But! I asked for this. No point in goin' back now." Tsuji only hoped he would be able to handle future, worse missions. Noel told him about ones where you could potentially die, and Tsuji would be lying if he said he wasn’t worried. He needed all the experience he could get to prepare him for those kinds of tasks.  
  
"Hey? Were you in a training program before you came here?" Jacqueline asked, hugging her knees into her chest, "Because not many freshmen are so prepared for stuff like this right off the bat."  
  
"Kinda.” Tsuji replied, adjusting himself and propping one of his legs up, “It was an unofficial one with my dad for two years with my sis, Rowena. It was hella tough, but hey, that's why I'm pretty tough right now."  
  
"I've been in the DWMA for about three years," Jacqueline said, "but I've only been Kim's partner for about a year."  
  
"Musta been lonely for you." Tsuji remarked, but he was smirking teasingly.   
  
Jacqueline sighed, resting her chin on her knees. "Yeah, It was. Between helping out in the EAT Class and instructing NOT students, life got boring quickly with nothing else to do."  
  
Tsuji could relate. "I feel ya. I mean, the DWMA was just standin' right there in my face those years."   
  
Jacqueline became quiet as she lifted her head and rested it against the tree, closing her eyes. Tsuji, meanwhile, soon found himself fidgeting uncomfortably. He hated long, awkward silences like this.  _"Okay, need something to talk about now."_  He inspected the girl sitting in front of him. With her straight, dark brown hair and seemingly athletic body, Tsuji thought she was rather cute. Curious, he leaned over to the side to examine her from another angle.  _“Oh yeah. She passes.”_  He cleared his throat in hopes of catching her attention. "Since we need to kill time and all, you wanna take this time to get to know each other better?"  
  
Jacqueline opened her eyes. "Are you trying to hit on me?"   
  
Tsuji raised an eyebrow. "What, you wanna just sit here and do nothing?" He gave himself a high-five for dodging her question.  
  
"Well, I guess you're right." Conceding, she cupped her chin as she recalled the details of her past. "Let's see...I was born in Boston, Massachusetts, but I moved to Death City when I was eleven. My father specialized in lanterns and woodworks. I was also brought up to be proper and be ladylike. Because of that, Kim always called me a, quote on quote, 'straight-laced chick.'" She stopped and blushed in embarrassment when she heard Tsuji snicker. “But I've mellowed out now!” He gestured her to keep going. “Anyway, most of my family still lives in Boston, and I have an older sister who’s in the Navy. And that's about it."  
  
"Normal life, huh?" Tsuji said as he stood up and stretched his back, tired of sitting down. Jacqueline did the same. "Ok, my go. I was born in Massachusetts, too, but in Cambridge. My sis and I stayed there for most of our lives, and I learned how to shoot a bow and arrow when I was five thanks to my mom. You know who my dad is already, but our mom's name was Rosalind, and she was the Old Man's meister during their school days. Okay, now we're chillin' in Chicago visiting our uncle Edward. Long story short, me and Rowena met Marcellus and Nayumi, and we became partners. Then we all moved to Death City. Then the rest is a wrap."  
  
"Looks like your life is pretty normal too." Jacqueline commented. Tsuji simply shrugged his shoulders. He actually neglected to mention a specific event that happened in Cambridge that spurred his and Rowena’s desire to become Meisters. He wasn’t ready to disclose that private part of his life yet.  
  
Then, Tsuji noticed something beginning to peek through the bushes behind Jackie. It was the barrel of a musket, aimed directly at her skull. His chartreuses eyes shrunk, and his face turned pale. When she looked at him, Jacqueline took note of how unnatural his face was now. "Something wro-"  
  
_BANG!_  
  
The next thing Jacqueline knew, she was on the ground with Tsuji on top of her as an explosion occurred only feet away from them. "That's what's wrong." He answered as he shot back up to his feet, glad that he was fast enough to get him and Jackie out of dodge. The Bow Meister then saw the trailing ruffling of bushes. Target sighted. "Yo, Jacqueline, I need to use you right quick."   
  
"Are you sure about?" Jacqueline questioned, standing back up. While impromptu Meister-Weapon pairs were common in times of desperation, like now, there was still the issue of compatibility as well as competency with the new weapon.  
  
Tsuji noticed their assailant beginning to get out of sight and barked out, "Hurry! Before it gets away!" She nodded and quickly transformed into her weapon form. Tsuji grabbed the lamp with one hand as he held the chain in the other. “This thing ain’t getting’ away.  Uh-uh. Not while I’m here.”  
  
Crouching down, Tsuji kicked off his feet and leapt over the bushes. When he landed on the ground, he performed a high jump as he headed toward a tree trunk. He sprung off that one, went to another, and repeated the process, using the many trees to his advantage as he pursued the attacker. Tsuji's speed was fast enough to make sure gravity did not betray him.   
  
When he saw that he was gaining on it, Tsuji asked Jackie, "Okay, how you shoot flames?"  
  
"You just aim, and I'll take care of it," Jacqueline answered and then asked concernedly, "But the biomass-!"  
  
"We'll worry about that in a minute! We gotta get this thing right here, right now!" Tsuji argued as he bounded off another tree, keeping his sights on the target as he took aim. The lid on the lantern opened up to reveal a scary-looking face that glowed orange and released a burst of flames. The fire howled and danced, resonating in tune with the burning plants and the screaming attacker. "I think we got him!" Tsuji declared as he landed on the ground.  
  
"Point me at the fire!" Jacqueline commanded hurriedly. With an inferno of that size, it would cause a devastating wildfire. She already knew they might get in trouble for this small disruption of the biomass anyway, but there was no need to throw caution into the wind. Tsuji did so as the lid on the lamp opened up again, sucking in the fire with greater speed than a vacuum. After the inferno was tamed, a charred wasteland remained in its wake.   
  
"Why, I certainly did not expect that from a bunch of DWMA brats." came the raspy voice. Hunched over in the middle of the burnt land was one-half of the Twin Gentlemen. His brown hair beneath his black top hat was still groomed and well-kept. He had a monocle on, which completely hid the eye while the other one was completely blank and glassy. His blue suit and pants were streaked with burnt spots. He was even missing one of his white gloves.   
  
"Well, I ain't your Average Joe, pal." Tsuji said, keeping the lantern aimed at him.  
  
The Gentlemen looked at Tsuji with a passive grin, reaching down to pick up his fallen cane. Mysteriously, it was free of any sort of damage. "Then I've procured quite the unexpected boon. Selling your soul to the black market might make up for what you did to my clothing."   
  
His statement ended with a sharp  _SLASH_.Tsuji barely avoided the extremely quick of swing of the Gentlemen's cane as locks of his inky black hair were released into the air. The upper parts of the cane were shed to reveal a hidden blade.   
  
Tsuji gritted his teeth as a small stream of blood came down the left side of his face. Jacqueline gulped noiselessly in the spiritual dimension of her weapon form. The Gentleman grinned, showing his pointed, pearly-white teeth, as he pointed his blade at the boy.  
  
_"Where are you guys?"_  Tsuji and Jacqueline thought simultaneously, feeling the odds stacked against them.   
  


* * *

  
Grumbling to herself, and with a frown firmly on her face, Kim wrathfully stomped her way through another part of the Amazon. This was a horrible situation – alone in a stinky jungle with no company but plants and passing animals. Not to the mention there were killer Evil Humans afoot that could snipe her down. She looked up and noticed that the sun's light was fading. That made her tremble a little bit, imagining herself in the scary darkness of the Amazon with the vicious nocturne animals about.   
  
"I wish I could make the DWMA pay a fine like everyone else." Kim groused, hiding her face in her hands.  
  
"Good luck with that."  
  
" _What the-_?!" Kim shrieked, her spine almost shooting out of her body. "Who's there?!" She looked around frantically, stopping only when she found a figure sitting on a branch just above her. "Marcellus?! What are you doing up there?!"  
  
"Waiting for you," Marcellus answered, unmoving, "I sensed your wavelength up ahead, so I just popped a squat and waited for you to come to me."  
  
"And what if I didn't come this way?" Kim questioned, placing her hands on her hips.  
  
Marcellus yawned. "I would have moved… Eventually… I guess."   
  
Kim had a hard time believing the sincerity of the Demon Bow's words. She shook her head and sighed, looking on the more positive side of the spectrum. She had the only person capable of detecting the location of their targets and the other two members of their party. On the negative side, this would require a lot of walking and playing hide-and-seek. And Marcellus happened to be a rather indolent fellow, it seemed.   
  
"Can you at least get down from there?" She requested. With a drawn-out groan, the dark-skinned teen removed himself off of the branch and landed on the ground. He then stretched his back until it cracked. "C'mon. Let's get to work before sundown gets here," She ordered, "Turn on your sonar."  
  
"Nothing's around here. I checked already." Marcellus replied.  
  
"How long ago was that?"  
  
"A couple minutes ago."  
  
" _Do it again_!" Kim demanded at the top of her voice. She then squeaked when something hit her forehead and harmlessly bounced off of it. She clumsily fumbled around with the object until she managed to get ahold of it. It was a Tootsie Roll lollipop, grape flavored.   
  
"I will. In the meantime, suck on that. The sugar will calm you down. Hope you like grape cuz I certainly don’t." Marcellus said, sensing that the Lantern Meister was angry for whatever reasons. Kim pouted childishly, but she nonetheless removed the wrapper and put lollipop in her mouth. The Demon Bow reactivated his Wavelength Sonar. However, he spent zero time looking because something came up instantly. He whipped around to face Kim's direction. "What the-?!"  
  
A blast similar to the one that assailed the team earlier shot through the wilderness with a deafening bang. To Marcellus's horror, it hit Kim's back with so much force that she was propelled straight into him. While he was a bit dazed, laying there with a possibly injured ally was out of the question. Holding onto Kim, he quickly crawled out of harm's way and hid behind a substantially sized tree trunk as another blast whizzed by and exploded elsewhere.  
  
Marcellus’s throat turned dry as that impact replayed in his mind. As it did, he heard gunshots and police sirens. Shaking his head to get all of those thoughts out of his head, he tended to Kim. "Hey! Are you okay?" He turned the girl over on her stomach to check on her injury. To his immense surprise, not much was there.   
  
"Y-Yeah. Just dazed." Kim replied, propping herself up by her elbows.   
  
The African-American teen reverted back to his usual withdrawn and stolid state. “Oh.” While he indeed wondered how Kim managed to endure something so potent with superficial damage, he felt that he could have been tipped off about what he presumed to be Kim's physical durability.   
  
The terse response made Kim frown. He didn't even say he was glad she was fine or anything like that. "'Oh'? What do you mean 'Oh'?!"   
  
"Well, I thought you were hurt, but it turns out you're not, and I almost had a heart attack for nothing." Marcellus replied, spitting out an unfinished lollipop.   
  
Kim scoffed. "Are you always this unsympathetic?"   
  
Marcellus looked off to the side as he answered her, "Well, not to sound mean, but when you've walked a mile in my shoes, your sense of empathy tends to be screwy."  
  
Before anything else could be said, another explosion shook the area, the area of impact this time being the other side of the tree trunk. Kim and Marcellus instinctively ducked and shielded their heads as smoke billowed its way around them.   
  
"Well, now that we've covered that, how are we going to get out of this mess?" Marcellus asked, opening up his eyes once the aftermath subsided. Calm he sounded, his nerves were supercharged, making his hands shake and him sweat. "That's obviously our target, but it doesn't intend on leaving us whole."  
  
Kim gritted her teeth. "If only Jackie was here." She didn't want to take the risk of being rejected by Marcellus. Even then, Kim wasn't sure if she could properly wield him even if they had compatibility. His Mode Changes seemed like something only Tsuji could pull off.   
  
Another blast flew by, this time missing its mark. "Well, she's not and neither is Tsuji, so got any other bright ideas?" Marcellus questioned.   
  
"I don't see you coming up with anything!" Kim countered, shooting a glare at him.   
  
"I'm using my Sonar to keep an eye on the target." Marcellus replied wryly. Then, said sonar informed him that the blasts were no longer coming, and that the target was fleeing. "And, strangely, it's leaving."  
  
"H-huh?!" Kim immediately got out of their hiding spot and put herself in the open to test out the sensor's words. True enough, nothing was shot her way. "Come on, Marcellus. We're going after it."  
  
Marcellus emerged from their impromptu refuge. "All right. In the meantime, we really should think of a plan of action."  
  
"Right." Kim said as she broke out into a sprint down the way the blasts came.   
  
Marcellus followed alongside her. He glanced at Kim and realized he probably sounded a little inconsiderate back there. Facing forward, he finally spoke, "By the way, sorry."   
  
"Yeah. Me too." Kim responded with a sigh. If only he walked a mile in her shoes too.   
  


* * *

  
Tsuji hid behind one of the trees within the scorched battlefield. He tried to even his breathing as he leaned against the undamaged back of the tree. The Gentleman he was fighting against rivaled him in terms of physical ability and power, but the Evil Human had the upper hand since Tsuji was using a Demon Weapon he had no skill with. The many gashes Tsuji had on his body proved the difference in power.   
  
His eyes dilated when he heard a familiar slashing sound, quickly backing away from the tree as it was felled by the Gentlemen. Tsuji then jumped high to avoid a downward slash that finished off the remaining stump and lashed out the chain part of Jackie's weapon form, wrapping it tightly around the Gentleman's neck.   
  
"Eat flames, punk!" Tsuji shouted as he landed and aimed the lantern at the Evil Human, whose blank eye actually widened in fear.  
  
"You're not threatening my brother, are you, human?"  
  
Tsuji felt the hot breath of someone else down his neck, causing the hairs there to stand on end. " _Shit_!" Reflexively, he rolled away to the side, barely avoiding a precise swing of the other Gentleman's blade. When Tsuji positioned himself on one of his knees, he glared at the Twin Gentlemen.  
  
"Tsuji! Are you okay?!" Jacqueline asked concernedly.  
  
"I'm alright. I dodged it, so there's no harm." Tsuji replied reassuringly.   
  
The Twin Gentlemen stood together as they eyed at their sole prey. "Well, I heard your call for help, so I came as quickly as I could." One of them stated.   
  
"I do appreciate it. You're such a lovely brother." The other replied with a charming smile.   
  
"Damn it, I'm still here!" Tsuji shouted irately as he aimed the lantern, Jackie firing more flames at them. The brilliant orange and red fire approached them at high speeds, leaving burning destruction in its path. The Twin Gentlemen simply smiled as they swung their blades, releasing long-ranged sword slashes and condensed air pressure. The flames were split apart by the sword slashes and abated by the air pressure until nothing but harmless sparks remained.   
  
"We know." The Twin Gentlemen replied smugly, enjoying the look of shock on Tsuji’s face. Quite frankly, they were sick of him. It was time to finish off him and whatever traces of the DWMA left in the Amazon. This was their territory, and theirs alone.   
  
" _Tsuji_!"  
  
" _Jackie_!"  
  
Kim and Marcellus plowed through the foliage near the battlegrounds and ran up to them. Tsuji smirked and gladly tossed Kim the lantern, and Marcellus transformed into his Default Form into his arms. The gang was back together with the right partners.   
  
"Oh darn. Seems like I didn't kill them." One of the Gentlemen sighed sadly, seeing Kim stand by Tsuji’s side.  
  
"Oh, don't fret. We can take them." The other Gentleman said consolingly, patting his brother on the back. At that moment, several chartreuse arrows struck him all over his torso. The Gentleman coughed up blood as his clothing became stained in red, and he fell backwards.  
  
"Nailed him." Tsuji declared, spinning the bow with a giant grin.  
  
The unharmed Gentleman turned forward, his normally calm features contorting with rage. The Evil Human swung his blade, sending over volleys of sword slashes with intent to dice them up. Kim aimed the lamp as the lid flipped open, spewing out flames that accumulated into a large fireball and subsequently launching it. Much to the Gentleman's surprise, his attack did not extinguish it at all. Instead, the fireball destroyed his attacks and approached him without a drop in form. A fiery explosion engulfed him as a burst of red, yellow, and orange light flashed.   
  
Kim smirked wolfishly as she blew the smoke emanating from the lantern. That was the difference between an impromptu meister and a trained, real one.   
  
Marcellus placed a hand over his face and groaned, watching Kim’s assault burn even more of the nearby forest in addition to what Tsuji did. Conservationists would be having major fits right now, and he wouldn’t blame them. "Well, so much for not injuring the biomass." He already knew they were getting penalized for this.   
  
"They were on that good shit a minute ago! Now they just got bodied like a couple of scrubs!" Tsuji boasted, completely ignoring his partner and instead reveling in their quick victory.   
  
Kim suddenly felt a sudden spike in wavelength density and looked back toward the downed Evil Humans, narrowing her turquoise eyes. "Hold on a second." She got Tsuji to pay attention. To her surprise, she saw the bodies of the Twin Gentlemen twitch, their mangled and damaged limbs crawling toward each other.  
  
" _Yo_! What are ya'll doing?!" Tsuji shouted, preparing to shoot more arrows.   
  
Then, out of nowhere, black light outpoured from their bodies. Kim and Tsuji covered their eyes, crouching down to the ground to anchor themselves. There was an overwhelming amount of wavelength energy radiating from the Twin Gentlemen, one that made the trees sway and all animals run for cover.   
  
"You guys remember the specs telling us about a Monster form?" Marcellus said warily. His Wavelength Sonar let him know that the two wavelengths were becoming one. "I think we're about to see it."  
  
The veil of energy split open as an odd, garbled sound was heard, a crossbreed between a hoot and a growl. Two skeletal wings stretched out – the wingspan large enough to brew a brief gust of wind. The airborne monstrosity was completely black with giant, clawed arms, pronounced teeth, and an eternal, disturbing sneer. While the monocle and suit it had on compromised some of its menacing air, a sole, wide eye that seemingly gazed into the students' very souls compensated for that.   
  
"Why do these targets of ours always have to be so damn ugly?" Tsuji groused. J. Worski and the Flatheads were the only people so far who were relatively human but did not strain the eyes.   
  
"Looks like we have some work to do, guys." Kim said grimly, getting in a firm stance.  
  
Tsuji and Kim aimed their respective weapons at the Twin Gentlemen. The monstrosity released another strident battle cry, shaking the core of the Amazon Rainforest. By this time, the last shred of evening sun had left the area, immersing many parts of the forest in blackness. Tsuji and Kim sighed heavily; all of this going on meant one thing.  
  
This mission would be an all-nighter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm in the process of making a Saeculum chapter describing the "specific event" that ultimately gave Tsuji and Rowena the desire to become Meisters. When it's done and uploaded, I'll edit this author note to let everyone know.


	15. Runaway Train

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kilik, Rowena, Nayumi, and the Pot Twins are ready to apply everything they've learned, and they decide to test themselves out on a high-speed monster train.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.

**Runaway Train**  
  
 _Month 1, Week 3, Day 3 (Wednesday, January 17th)_  
  
There were times Rowena wished weekends were longer. Her whole weekend was spent relaxing, even if her mind kept reminding her of the task ahead. The last two days, today being the third, she and Kilik worked constantly. It was natural human instinct to remember that hard, grueling work paid off in the end, keeping poisonous thoughts and doubts away. But it was also natural to favor an easy life. Those two mindsets continually butted heads and made life harder for most people. After all, Rowena said it herself; once the week started, playtime was over  
  
"Yo, Rowena! Keep 'em coming!" Kilik shouted out to her, banging his two gauntlets together with loud, metallic clangs.  
  
Rowena snapped out of her thoughts. "Oh, my bad." She wiped her forehead, spinning her sledgehammer as she switched up her grip. She was supposed to be knocking random objects, such as trees or stones, over to Kilik for him to destroy with either his punches or a technique.   
  
"Wait, hold on." Kilik straightened up. "Let's take a break for a sec."  
  
"Eh, alright. Suit yourself." Rowena rested the large sledgehammer across her shoulders, keeping both hands on the shaft, as she walked over.   
  
"Besides, I think we've done enough training and learning about each other." Kilik reasoned, "It's time we apply some of this stuff. I mean, it's Wednesday. Friday's right around the corner."  
  
Rowena lifted the sledgehammer off of her shoulders and put it on the ground by its hammerhead. "Knowin' the Old Man, he's expecting us to think outside the box." Rowena crooked her forefinger, gently tapped it against her lips, and took a moment to think on the matter. “He likes making you think hard on stuff like this.”  
  
Nayumi's reflection appeared on her weapon form. "Well, what can Fire and Thunder do that's interesting enough for a Joint Resonance?"  
  
Pot of Fire's reflection appeared on the right-hand metal glove. "I can burp my ABCs."  
  
Pot of Thunder's appeared on the other one, face contorting in disgust. "Ew! She doesn't mean that, stupid!"  
  
Inside the spiritual dimension of their weapon form, Fire butted heads with his sister. "I'm not stupid,  _You're stupid_!"   
  
" _Nuh-uh_!"  
  
" _Yea-huh_!"  
  
" _Nuh-uuuuuuhh_!"  
  
" _Yea-huuuuuuh_!"  
  
Kilik knocked the metal gloves together to get their attention. "Hey, you two, let's stay on task.”  
  
The Pot Twins stopped squabbling and hung their heads in repentance. "Sorry, Kilik."  
  
Rowena cleared her throat, feeling a bit awkward, but she couldn’t blame children for being children. “Anyway, what can ya’ll do?”  
  
"Well, there's our Adult Forms." Thunder piped in.   
  
Rowena and Nayumi did a double take, making sure they heard that right. "Your what now?"   
  
"It's complicated." Kilik said, shaking his head, "We got help from a certain friend. After a lot of practice and fine-tuning with her, we're now able to do it with just a Soul Resonance."  
  
"Okaaay?" Rowena droned. She wasn’t sure how to respond since she lacked the full details, but that wasn’t important. "Well, as long as it's useful, I don't care. We gotta get our sh—I mean, stuff together." She barely caught herself, having momentarily forgotten minors were in her presence.   
  
"Well, let's head on to the mission board then," Kilik suggested, "A little action and time in the fire should work. Who knows? If we get everything done, we might able to take off tomorrow."  
  
A bright smile appeared on Rowena’s face. That was something she wanted to hear. "Amen to that!"   
  


* * *

  
 _Mission Location: Florida High Speed Rail, Tampa  
Mission Description: A Kishin Egg entity has taken the form of a high-speed train, riding around the rail system at unconventionally and dangerously high speeds. Shut it down, make sure people are safe, and collect its soul.  
Mission Difficulty: A Rank  
Special Notes: Collaborate with officials if needed to ensure that you safely dispatch the train.  
Status: Taken_  
  
The downtown area of Tampa, Florida was in a state of emergency. All routes connected to the Florida High Speed Rail station were asked to cancel all trips and cleared all rails due to a runaway train blazing through the railway at hazardously high speeds.   
  
However, it was none like they had ever seen. The train was both organic and mechanical. The front of the train sported a demonic face with a long, pointed, and ventilated chin and a bulbous forehead. It bore no mouth but had fairly small, glowing yellow eyes surrounded by black rings. Red and black, vein-like growths traced the length of the train, an armored monster that equaled a twelve-car freight train.  
  
Many officials were attending to the problem. Helicopters kept an eye on everything below. Numbers upon numbers of city and state police officers blocked off all routes for safety reasons, stationed in places where the train would pass. Communication lines busily relayed all information, orders, and plans of action. This was not a regular train that they could just take control of; this thing was actually alive and had a mind of its own. To make things worse, as long as it was in the city of Tampa, thousands of lives were in jeopardy, but thousands more could be if it was allowed to continue its joyride.   
  
Around this time, Kilik, the Pot Twins, Rowena, and Nayumi arrived at one of the stations located near the Marion Transit Center. Civilians littered the area as a result of the many postponed or cancelled transits scheduled this hour. Rowena saw an angry couple complaining to a receptionist with security guards watching over them. "Jeez, I know I’d be pissed too." From what she could make out, their vacation was being ruined. They were probably one of many.   
  
Kilik grabbed her by her shoulder and shook her to reclaim her attention. "Never mind about the people, Rowena! We gotta find someone to help us out."  
  
"A police officer?" Thunder piped in.  
  
"Yeah, one of the boys or girls in blue will lend us a hand." Kilik said, his bespectacled eyes peering around the area. As he and the others maneuvered their way through the crowd and went to the boarding terminal, Kilik spotted several security guards blocking passage and keeping an eye on everyone inside. "There they are!" He hurried toward them with Rowena lagging behind. "Excuse me! DWMA students here sent by Lord Death to take care of the monster on the rail!" He held up his official DWMA ID to show that he was here strictly on business. Rowena did the same once she caught up.  
  
One of the security guards examined the ID and nodded. He then spoke into his two-way radio, "We got helpers from the DWMA sent by Lord Death himself." A few seconds passed before the garbled response was heard. None of the students understood it, but the security guard apparently did. "10-4. All right, follow me. But we gotta be quick because the train is heading this way."  
  
The DWMA students followed the security guard into the boarding terminal. They were greeted with the sight of other emergency personnel setting up portable derailers on the track down the way. The area was vacant and widespread enough so that nothing would be destroyed once the train derailed.   
  
"Give us a quick rundown of the situation." Rowena requested as she looked around. Understandably, only a few personnel were present to minimize the danger toward lives in the operation.  
  
The security guard confided in reply, "According to reports, one of the trains at a checkup terminal near the rail's terminus suddenly went haywire and became this monster. It didn't immediately take off, hence why it's still in Tampa even though you guys came all the way from Death City, but now it's on a high-speed rampage. Right now, we're treating it like any other out-of-control train."  
  
"An out-of-control train that's trying to kill things so it can eat souls." Kilik reminded him, crossing his arms.   
  
"What do you children suggest then?" the security guard retorted.   
  
"Let's check you guys out before we decide on anything." Rowena responded, watching the railroad track and the derailers warily, "We've got oodles of experience on stuff like this." Nayumi wanted to say something sarcastic but opted not to even though Rowena said a complete lie. Prerequisite missions aside, this was only their second official one.   
  
Then, a hollow roar and followed by the groan of metal was heard in the distance. A commander barked out the order to get back and take cover. Evidently, the runaway train was approaching just as suspected. For safety purposes, Nayumi and Pot Twins all transformed into their weapon forms as Kilik and Rowena took refuge with everyone else. All fell quiet as everyone tensely waited for the train. The only sounds were that of screeching metal and roaring wind.   
  
Then, for a moment, it seemed like time stopped. The runaway train came in full of view of Rowena and Kilik, and its eyes glimpsed at them. The monster actually had the audacity to smirk. The next instant, the derailers were destroyed by the runaway train's wheels, sending metallic shrapnel everywhere in a flurry of dust. Then, the train opened its mouth and unleashed fire at its general direction ahead. Many things went ablaze as fragments flew up to the sky in a mushroom of smoke and flames, shaking the entire station. The train continued its course, laughing all the way.  
  
The emergency personnel were all dazed but uninjured. Their plan failed, but they weren’t dettered. They immediately went to work in addressing the matter at hand. The fire department was called, the terminal was now in process of being evacuated, and other officials went back to figuring out how to stop this high-speed menace.   
  
Kilik wiped his forehead with his sleeve, feeling the convective heat emanating from the train’s path of destruction. "So, we have an ugly train monster that can roll right through stuff, breathe fire, and can cause a citywide panic?"   
  
Nayumi shook her head with a wry smile. "Only in Florida."   
  
"Talk about the state all you want later please," the security guard said as he approached them, "Right now, that train has all but track left ahead of it. The next station is in Lakeland, Florida. Short of putting on the brakes or derailing it, nothing will stop it."  
  
Rowena gritted her teeth. "Damn. That thing'll get beyond our reach if we let it roll."  
  
"Then our only option is to board the thing." Kilik spoke up bravely. He then looked at the security guard, "We need something fast enough to get us there. Can you help us out?"  
  
If the circumstances were different, the security guard would have used his better judgment and sent them away. However, he had to oblige since DWMA members had a great amount of influence in the world. That, and Lord Death could say something to his supervisor about obstructing sanctioned business. The security guard spoke into his two-way radio again. "We need a copter to escort the DWMA students. They plan on boarding the train and taking care of it themselves.” Another garbled reply came, but this time it wasn't a positive response. "What? You're not going to allow it?!"  
  
"Why not?!" Kilik questioned, "This is our job too, you know!"  
  
"Sir, may I ask why?" He waited for a reply and got one, making sure the students heard him. The concern, among many things, was having a vehicle that could catch up to the high speed runaway train. Then, there was the issue of whether or not the train actually had an entrance point given its strange composition. The endangerment of young teenagers and children was another factor in the decision. And the final reason: "The train accelerated, and it's now out of the city?! That quickly?!"  
  
"What the-?!” Kilik looked at the railway and then the horizon where the train probably was now. “We just saw it though!"   
  
All the more reason why something had to be done, Rowena thought. All this standing around was becoming a detriment. Taking matters into her own hands, Rowena walked up to the security guard, snatched the radio, and told the man on the other line how she really felt. "Listen here. Code Red, Code Blue, Code Colorless, I don't care what ya'll call it! Big LD told us to collaborate with you guys so we could stop this thing! Now you're either in or not cuz you're wastin’ time! The last thing I want on my conscience is this thing takin' people out and becoming a Kishin that can travel all around the country at freakin' breakneck speeds!  _Help us kill that thing_!"  
  
A silence was heard on the other side of the communication line. The security guard’s shoulders tensed up as his throat went dry, aware of how improper her demand was. Kilik raised an eyebrow as he crossed his arms, wanting to see how this played out. Nayumi and the Pot Twins simply waited patiently, letting them take care of everything.   
  
"Fine."  
  
Rowena smiled giddily as she handed the radio back to the shocked security guard. "Get the details, please. I ain't no police officer, in case ya can't tell."  
  
Kilik laughed as he held up his fist. "You got some balls there, Rowena, for that."  
  
Rowena bumped hers with Kilik's. "And I ain't even got none."  
  
The security guard signaled over a police officer, told him everything, and let everything takes its course. The plan was to drive Rowena and Kilik to a rendezvous point where a helicopter would subsequently retrieve them. Inside the police car, the two could only focus on the task ahead of them. The sirens up top blared as the world around them travelled by at fast speeds due to the driver flooring it. The officer radioed in every now and then to get a progress report, and every time, he drove faster and faster.  
  
Soon enough, the car came to an abrupt halt near the outskirts. The helicopter was already there, the blades spinning rapidly with the pilot ready to go as soon as the students boarded. Once they did, the helicopter left the ground, steadily rising into the air by the second. The next phase of the operation was to catch up to the train and make sure Kilik and Rowena get on it. This would require flying in a linear path as the train followed a deep curve in the track.  
  
After what seemed to be hours, the copter finally reached the end of the desired curve. The train was riding along the downward slope of the curve, its horrible sounds echoing throughout the locale. Its wheel went at maximum speed, and the engine spewed out smoke and steam at the highest rate of output. "We're beginning descent. You kids get ready!" The pilot told them as the helicopter stopped in the air and slowly went down. He had to time this perfectly.   
  
"Right!" Kilik and Rowena positioned themselves near the edges of the open backseat, preparing to jump on the pilot's command.  
  
The pilot was starting to sweat, but nonetheless kept his cool. If he was positioned too low the train might attack or run them over, but too high and the students could miss their jump. The runaway train's eyes titled upward and saw the helicopter up ahead, and it smirked deviously. Time to put another operation to rest. The pilot used his best judgment to determine the right time to give the signal. Should this work, not only would they board the train, but they also would be near the front. He waited until the face of the runaway train was in complete view. "GO—!"  
  
The runaway train roared as it loose a concentrated beam of energy at an angle. Before any movement was made, the beam hit the copter, blasting off two of its propeller blades and grazing the chassis. Red smoke and heat mushroomed from the point of impact as the copter started to sway off-course. Rowena and Kilik screamed, almost falling over before they gripped onto holds for dear life. Rapid beeping was heard inside the cockpit as the pilot struggled for control. The train laughed evilly as it passed under them, thwarting their original timing.    
  
"What do we do now?!" Kilik shouted, steadying himself.   
  
The pilot wrested the cyclic, trying to force the damaged copter to go in the desired direction. "You two are still going on board! So get ready!" Smoke billowed from the flaming roof, meaning there was not much time before the aircraft would explode. The pilot removed all brakes, causing the helicopter to plummet toward the train. With one final jerk of the cyclic, he gave them their shot. "GO!"  
  
" _W-Whooooa_!!!" Rowena and Kilik spilled out of the aircraft's backseats. They landed on the second-to-last car of the train, their bodies thumping against the metal. The force of the rushing wind kept pushing them until Rowena jabbed the end of the sledgehammer into the hull and Kilik grabbed onto her legs for support. Behind them, the failing helicopter collapsed against the trailing track and exploded.   
  
With the pilot still inside.  
  
Rowena and Kilik gasped in shock, watching as the cloud of fire, debris, and smoke slowly disappeared over the horizon. They had just witnessed someone bravely sacrificing himself for them, for the chance to kill this train right before their very eyes. Then, they heard booming laughter up ahead, causing their gazes to tighten into glares: the train was mocking that pilot's valiant efforts.  
  
"This thing must die."   
  
First, they had to get inside the train to eliminate the threat of falling over. Kilik released one of Rowena's legs so that she could get upright, using the sledgehammer as her main support. Once she was up, she grabbed onto one of Kilik's arm, allowing him the ability to stand.   
  
"Pot of Fire! Triple F!" Kilik's right fist was ignited with flames, engulfing itself in a sphere of streaming fire. With a roar of exertion, he slammed his fist down. The technique's concussive force was so great that it deformed the entire of hull of the car and blasted a hole in the roof. Kilik and Rowena fell right in, finally gaining entry into the runaway train.   
  
The corridor was empty, which was a good thing. They were hoping zero obstacles would be in the way because they had to go all the way to the front car where the heart of the monster train was. Kilik and Rowena rushed toward the door on the other side. Rowena kicked at the iron door three times, weakening the frame and the lock, before swinging the sledgehammer to knock it down.   
  
Not even five steps into the next car, and both of them were immediately tackled by something at blurring speeds. " _What the hell_?!" The two meisters shouted as they were driven into the floor. Their assailants continued their assault, lifting them up and throwing them into sides of the corridor with great force.   
  
Once Kilik and Rowena got over the initial shock, and the dull pain, they were able to clearly see their attackers. They were two, very slender but amorphous collections of flowing shadows. One could only see their clawed arms and round, cyclopean heads. The monsters lashed out again with Kilik rolling off to the side to dodge a fierce swipe while Rowena held up the sledgehammer to block a strike.  
  
The one of the monsters continued to attack Rowena, making sure she stayed on her back, but she used the sledgehammer to block all strikes. She then brought her leg up and kicked the monster right in its head, stunning it. This gave the Sledgehammer Meister the chance to shoot up to her feet and slam the weapon on its head, crushing it instantly. Meanwhile, Kilik displayed impressive dexterity, ducking and jumping out of the way of the other monster's attacks regardless of their oncoming speed. He jumped to dodge again, this time high enough to plant his feet onto the ceiling and jettison himself downward. Using the momentum, he jabbed both of his metal-clad fists into the monster's skull, scoring his own kill. The defeated enemies disappeared into wisps of shadows as Kilik and Rowena gathered their bearings.  
  
"Hey, Kilik, look! Look!" The Pot Twins shouted.   
  
At the very end of the corridor was the door, but there was something on it. The red, stellate object had grey edges with blue-green, teardrop-shaped spines attached to the door itself. It faded away shortly after the dead monsters, baring the door to them.   
  
"That thing disappeared as soon as we beat the thingies!" Thunder remarked.  
  
That piece of information did not sit well with Kilik. "Sounds like it's pulling out all the stops to make sure we don't get far."  
  
Rowena looked at the sledgehammer and asked, "Nayumi, can you check ahead with your Wavelength Radiation?"  
  
"Sure can!" In the spiritual dimension of her weapon form, Nayumi closed her eyes and placed two fingers each on the sides of her head. She opened her eyes and activated her ability. Concentrating her wavelength so that it was sensitive to infrared radiation, Nayumi was able to detect the heat presence of other entities in some of the cars ahead. "There's stuff ahead."  
  
Kilik gritted his teeth. "A bunch of blockades to waste our time."   
  
Rowena smiled brightly as she excitedly hopped on feet a little, recognizing the setup. "Oh wow! This is like a video game where ya gotta beat monsters in one level 'fore you can get to the next. And they get stronger 'til you reach the boss! Like Final Fantasy!"   
  
"Not now, Rowena!"  
  
"My bad."  
  
The monster train was using what it had to make sure Kilik and Rowena couldn’t get to its heart, but they were ready to plow through anything it offered. Rowena knocked down the door, and she and Kilik confronted the monsters on the other side, exchanging powerful blows and strong techniques after another to claim dominance. It went on like this for the next several cars: unlock the door, encounter the increasingly difficult enemies, get knocked around and blasted, return the favor, and repeat until victory was won.  
  
At the final car, Rowena and Kilik watched as a monstrous golem soon shared the same fate as the rest. Kilik hunched over, placing his hands on his knees as he panted heavily. “Finally, that’s over with.” That was the strongest monster yet, and they still had the train itself to fight. As much as he hated to admit it, the train’s strategy worked to an extent. Both he and Rowena were bruised and battered.   
  
Rowena leaned on her sledgehammer for support while on one knee, trying to converse what energy she had left. She was panting and sweating harder than Kilik, and her muscles were sore.  _“Man, I gotta build up my stamina.”_  She huffed to herself. No wonder athletes like Kilik and Tsuji could keep on doing stuff like this.   
  
Just then, she felt a cold pat on her back and looked to see Kilik by her side. “C’mon. Get up, you’re tougher than this. Keep overpowering them.” Rowena smiled and nodded, getting back on her feet. One more battle, that was it.   
  
Finally, the lock barricading them from the heart of the runaway monster train disappeared. Because this particular door was made of organic material, the matter separated like drawn curtains, effectively doubling the length of the corridor and revealing what was on the other side.  
  
The train's Kishin Egg Soul was presently encapsulated in a deep purple, bulbous mechanism. Positioned above it was a two-armed entity with dark, mechanical armor, animated by the soul. Vein-like growths lined parts of the armored guardian. The creature set its sights on Rowena and Kilik, confirming its targets.   
  
"Can anyone say RPG or MMORPG?" Nayumi piped in, recognizing how similar this setup was to those genre of games.   
  
"If that's the case, this must be the final dungeon's boss fight," Rowena said, smirking as she assumed a defensive stance, "Well, I'm ready to fight! We’re ‘bout to have some fun today!" Beside her, Kilik pounded the twin gauntlets together with a metallic thud, sharing her eagerness.  
  
The guardian entity clapped its hands together and summoned black orbs in the air around it. They subsequently discharged black beams at the meisters. Kilik pushed off the ground and jumped to the side to evade. Rowena rolled away, but her back got nicked by a beam after she completed it.   
  
Rowena crawled out of the way, reaching back and placing a hand on the spot she got hit. "Nayumi, we need Morning Star again."   
  
The girls resonated again. Then, Rowena pulled both the blunt end and the farthest interlocking plate, leaving everything else alone. The light energy resembling concentrated discs sprayed out from the resulting construct. Rowena sharply sucked in air as she waited for an opening, recalling everything they did on this train alone. "We need to work on our Mode Change so we can do it like Marcellus. Leave the resonances open for other stuff."   
  
"Y-yeah, you're right." Nayumi said weakly, feeling the strain of having to use so many Mode Changes in this one mission.  
  
"Pot of Thunder, Flash of Lightning!" Kilik shouted as he rushed at the guardian. The gauntlet on Kilik's left hand was cloaked with static electricity as he jumped over a punch from the guardian and then used the arm to get even higher in the air. As he fell back down, he delivered a powerful vertical strike with the lightning-imbued gauntlet, resulting in him simultaneously chopping and shocking the guardian monster.  
  
It released a low groan, but there was virtually no delay in its next attack. As the Pot Meister landed on the ground, the guardian threw a punch and sent Kilik careening backwards. He yelled in pain as his body hit the corridor wall hard.   
  
Rowena roared with exertion as she charged. The guardian tried to punch her, but Rowena flipped the modified sledgehammer around so that the edge of Morning Star would hit the floor behind her and cancel her forward momentum, resulting in the monster hitting the ground instead. Rowena quickly lifted her foot and stomped onto the guardian's hand, keeping it in place as she dragged Morning Star across the floor in a curvilinear motion, dismembering that hand from the arm.   
  
The monster didn’t even flinch. Instead, it quickly delivered a punch with its free hand that blasted Rowena into the other side of the corridor. She cried out as her body rebounded off it and hit the floor. Kilik coughed as he used the wall to get him to his feet. They weren’t fighting at full strength. Their exhaustion and injuries were catching up to them. Then, an earthshaking explosion caught their full attention.   
  
“What the heck was that?!” Kilik steadied himself against the wall as he peered out the window. Rowena did the same. They had made it to civilization again, and the train had blasted a smoking sinkhole in a passing street that engulfed several cars and people. The train laughed as another explosion followed shortly and relished in the horrified screams of people and destruction.   
  
"Kilik! What are we gonna do?!" the Pot Twins cried out.  
  
Kilik gritted his teeth. They needed some extra firepower and quick before the train did even more damage to the people around them. He yelled out to Rowena from across the corridor. "Hey, Rowena! Remember that conversation about Adult Forms?"  
  
"Yeah! What about it?”  
  
"Now you get to see 'em." Kilik said as he pounded the gauntlets together with more authority. " _Soul Resonance_!" A huge amount of fire and electricity was generated respectively in Kilik's right and left arm. The two powerful elements fused together briefly before Kilik forced them apart, the resonance working its magic in the depths of the energy. Soon enough, two figures emerged from the pools of energies in either of Kilik's arms.  
  
Fire took the form of a young boy with chin-length blonde hair with red tips. An elaborate marking resembling a fireball was emblazoned on one side of his hair with a similar tattoo on his right shoulder. He had small but profound teardrop-shaped markings beneath each of his eyes. He also wore a scarf composed of fire and had vent-like markings on his pectoral muscles, each of his shoulders, and the back of both of his hands. Finally, he had long metal bracelets along his arms, and the bottom half of his body was engulfed in flames.  
  
Thunder was now a young girl dressed in a yellow crop top with a hood over her head, hanging down and curving around in a loop with some segments of it separated and floating in place. In addition, she seemingly wore a hat beneath this hood. Yellow markings were located on the edges of her eyes with short streak beneath them. Two sleek yellow lines were tattooed on her shoulders. She wore elaborate decorative sleeves that extended outward and curved into the air in a similar style to her hood. The bottom half of her body was engulfed with static electricity.  
  
"Ponce de Leon would be proud." Nayumi commented in an impressed tone.  
  
Rowena gaped in shock. "You ain't lyin'."   
  
The guardian monster conjured black portals in front of its body, subsequently releasing obsidian vortexes toward the Kilik and the adult Pot Twins. The twins held out their hands and discharged their own vortexes, composed of fire and lightning. The attacks clashed and cancelling each other with explosive results, shaking the entire runaway train.   
  
Kilik growled. That wasn’t what he wanted to happen. "Shoot! Even that's not enough!"  
  
Rowena remembered she still had Nayum's Morning Star Mode Change activated and hatched an idea. "Well, let's make it enough! Kilik! Hit me up with a Joint Resonance!"  
  
Kilik smirked at her and manifested his soul around him. It was a light brown soul with cornrow-like indentures on the side, resembling his hairdo. Rowena did the same, hers being sunshine yellow in color with a small ball on top, mimicking her bun. Streams of soul energy exited their souls and connected, bringing their souls together and uniting them as one in an immense burst of light. The sprays of energy characterizing Nayumi's Morning Star Mode Change suddenly turned into fans of fire and lightning.   
  
Rowena saw the guardian aimed a beam at her, and she quickly tossed her weapon over to the adult Pot Twins, who caught it. Then, she somersaulted, completely avoiding the beam this time. “Dang, Rowena, you look faster without this thing!” Kilik remarked, having saw her avoid the attack. She waved the compliment off uncaringly. She was no faster with or without Nayumi.  
  
"Joint Resonance: DDT!"  
  
The Pot Twins slammed the sledgehammer down, creating a massive shockwave of bright flames and roaring lightning. The two elements travelled down the length of the corridor, approaching the guardian entity at great speeds. Soon, the attack connected, causing the entire train to shake violently from a mighty explosion, the force of which was enough to send Rowena and Kilik backwards. A horrible, screeching noise echoed from the monster as its entire body shook and convulsed. It slammed on the brakes as sparks flew from its wheels. Gradually, its organic parts glowed and disintegrated, leaving the original train remaining.   
  
Inside the corridor, Kilik and Rowena severed their connection as smoke swirled around them. They covered their mouths and coughed, hurrying over to nearby windows and punched out the glass to let in air. Thankfully, it wasn't long before the copious amount of smoke thinned out. Visibility back, the team saw that DDT had obliterated the guardian and the monster train's soul. Everything was back to normal.   
  
" _We did it_!" Rowena pumped a fist and gave a wide smile as the Weapons turned back to normal.  
  
"Well, all right then!" Kilik smirked and shared a high-five with the Sledgehammer Meister. Nayumi and the Pot Twins all affectionately hugged each other after simultaneous flying tackles. They were all glad to finally put this menace on wheels to rest.   
  
“Aw, yeah~ We rule~ So pro~ Get funky~” Rowena danced around carefreely, waving and moving her arms around sinuously, not caring how she appeared to everyone else. She abruptly came to a stop when another thing came to mind. "You know what the best part of this is, guys?”  
  
Everyone looked at her as Kilik asked, "What's that?"   
  
Rowena held up a two fingers in the form of a ‘V for victory’ sign. "Since we got our Joint Resonance, we can skip tomorrow!"   
  
After using the whole day to help police diffuse the aftermath of the train incident, the day off was welcomed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Florida High Speed Rail does not exist in real life. It is actually a cancelled railway project that I adapted into my story after researching on Wikipedia. It's a great place to go to get ideas for mission chapters like this.


	16. The Deep Ones: The Shady Town of Innsmouth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ox, Harvar, Crona, and Ragnarok travel to this extremely shady town in an attempt to unlock their Joint Resonance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.

**The Deep Ones: The Shady Town of Innsmouth**  
  
 _Month 1, Week 3, Day 4 (Thursday, January 18th)_  
  
Ox Ford pegged himself a patient and logical man. He had to be in order to remain a contender for best student in the Academy with competition like Maka and a few others from different classes. However, Ragnarok proved himself to be viable competition against  _Blackstar_ , of all people, in terms of insufferableness. He constantly griped of hunger and obstinately declared he and Crona were capable of passing the exam without a Joint Resonance. Even when they managed to get some cooperation out of him, his attention would eventually go elsewhere.  
  
It was Thursday, and he, Harvar, and Crona all agreed that they still weren’t ready for the field exam tomorrow. Though, in spite of the setbacks, there was progress. Really, they just needed one successful Joint Resonance to complete their training regimen. Just one. Ox was currently perusing the mission bulletin board with his partners, trying to locate a mission that could hopefully improve their situation.   
  
"Hey! Hey! Let's do this one!" Ragnarok stretched out his body to remove a mission specification from its prong. Humoring him, Ox, Crona, and Harvar took a look at it.   
  
 _Mission Location: Innsmouth, Massachusetts  
Mission Description: There is suspicion of a cult harboring Souls for the Kishin. Investigate the area for this cult and eliminate them if necessary. Bring a detailed report in the event that the DWMA needs to quarantine the location.  
Mission Difficulty: A Rank  
Special Notes: Go during the day and with teammates.   
Status: Vacant_  
  
Crona gulped inaudibly. "That sounds scary.” The whole 'go during the day and with teammates' part was particularly unsettling. It was basically a demand, not a request or suggestion. One that determined life or death. Ox made a weak sound, not quite a squeak or a grunt, agreeing with the swordsman.   
  
"Wazzamatta? Scared?" Ragnarok taunted, using a tone one would talk to a baby with, as he smirked at both meisters.   
  
Harvar rolled his eyes behind his visor and snatched the mission specs out of Ragnarok's hands. "Fine. Let's go." The Demon Sword grinned victoriously, laughing as his group went over to the reception and got approval.  
  
Meanwhile, Crona and Ox couldn’t get rid of the feeling of dread welling up in their chests.   
  


* * *

  
The plane ride from Death City to Beverly Municipal Airport in Gloucester, Massachusetts was normal. It was the bus ride from Cape Ann to Innsmouth that was tense. With every passing mile, Crona and Ox were faced with the reality that this mission might be stranger than any other. When the town emerged over the horizon at the end of their excursion, Ox and Crona could see why they were demanded to go during the day.  
  
It was a miracle that Innsmouth even had a population because it was horrendously derelict. Much of the architecture was rotting and hollow, showing no signs of care or maintenance. Roofs had caved in, and many other buildings and houses were on the verge of collapse. It was as if the townspeople didn’t even care about Innsmouth’s portentous state of decay. It looked a ghost town more than anything, one that hadn’t been touched in years. But, by some miracle, there was a number of establishments and houses actually in sound condition. Those included bars, inns, houses, small stores, and a factory.  
  
A firsthand look at their mission location intensified the feeling of dread in Crona and Ox. Even in broad daylight, they did not feel safe in this odd town.   
  
Harvar leaned back in his seat to glance at the trio of steeples standing tall in the cloudless sky. Out of the three towers, only one was in moderately good condition. The other two lacked clocks. One tower’s cracked exterior gave him the impression it was ready to cave in at any moment. Nevertheless, the functional clock tower told him it was roughly noon. "Well, we have plenty of daylight to do our mission." He told his associates, "It's about twelve o'clock, so that's about five to six hours’ worth of daytime at our disposal."  
  
"I don't think even we're gonna need all that." Ragnarok remarked, "I mean, hello, cults stick out like sore thumbs."  
  
For once, Ox agreed with the inhuman Demon Weapon. In a small and relatively empty town like this, finding abnormal activity should be easy. Then there was the fact that he had Soul Perception and Crona could fly.  
  
"But that assumes the cult actually exists." Harvar replied logically. This mission was, at its core, an investigation.   
  
The bus finally came to a stop at the bus stop. Ox, Harvar, Crona, and Ragnarok all exited the bus as it turned around and left. Around the bus stop were some large, square, Georgian houses with hipped roofs and cupolas. The four cringed and grimaced as they smelled something – a repugnant stench that smelled like death, infecting the air like a plague.   
  
"So it looks and smells bad. Lucky us." Harvar noticed that some of the houses near their current location were boarded up.   
  
"Let's just get this over with." Ox stated. He spotted two people down the street on different doorsteps. A woman swept her patio while a man rocked back and forth in his chair.  _“Might as well start there.”_  Ox led the way as everyone else followed and walked up to them. "Excuse me, sir and ma'am. We're from the DWMA, and we're here to investigate claims of a cult harvesting souls for the Kishin. Have you noticed any strange activity as of late?"  
  
The man and woman simply gawked at the group of students, silent. With no warning, they hurried into their homes and slammed the doors shut, locking multiple locks afterwards.   
  
Ragnarok and Harvar frowned. “Rude.”   
  
"Does that count as strange activity, Ox?" Crona asked, looking at him with a titled head.    
  
That wouldn’t be the first time that happened either. As the team continued to walk through Innsmouth, whenever they saw other humans, they immediately took refuge in the nearest location and locked themselves in. Everywhere, the townspeople exhibited these weird xenophobic tendencies. Eventually, the team stopped in the middle of the town after a whole hour of unproductive searching.  
  
Harvar removed his visor and examined his surroundings with cautious eyes. He didn’t like this place whatsoever. "Well, we're obviously not wanted here."   
  
Ox adjusted his spectacles by the corner of his lens. "It's either that, or they don't want to talk about anything."   
  
"Could be both, if you want to assume the worse." Crona said negatively.   
  
Ragnarok looked off to the side as the humans continued to converse. It was then he noticed someone watching them from around the corner of a building. “Hey, you!”   
  
Crona saw Ragnarok pointing in a direction. "What's the matter, Ragnarok?" Crona, too, caught the stalking individual, but it retreated once all eyes locked gazes with it.  
  
"Come back here!" Harvar sprinted off in pursuit. He wanted answers, and he wanted them now. Ox and Crona quickly followed as well. Once the Demon Spear rounded the corner, he came to a screeching halt. His face blank, he only stood there as Ox and Crona caught up with him. “You can’t be serious.”   
  
Nothing.  
  
No doors, a dead end, no ladders, and no manholes. Whoever spied on them disappeared without a trace.   
  
Ragnarok grunted. "Well. It's official. Something's wrong, and nobody wants us to know."   
  
Harvar narrowed his eyes and put his visor back on as electricity briefly sparked on his shoulders. "Not for long. Let's go find an establishment and  _demand_  some answers."  
  
With their new objective in mind, the team tried to locate a public place with people. Every time a breeze came through, it reminded them of how empty Innsmouth was and its horrid stench. Fed up with the lack of people, Ox decided to use his Soul Perception to facilitate the process and found human souls somewhere. The team hurried there and found themselves entering a bar.   
  
Fresh, clean air greeted them. Additionally, nobody treated them like they were the plague. The people inside continued to silently talk and enjoy their drinks. It was a welcomed change from they experienced so far. The bar featured checkerboard-style floors, antiquated knickknacks on shelves or hung from the walls and support beams, and dim but substantial light. It almost seemed like an old-fashioned bar one would see in a western movie.   
  
 _“Hmm. I wonder why these guys are so… normal.”_  As much as Ox liked that these people didn’t duck and cover on sight, the change was still strange and sudden to him, all things considered. Nevertheless, they had to capitalize on this opportunity. After all, despite suspicious behavior, his team had yet to uncover anything related to the cult.  
  
"Excuse me." Ox spoke politely as he and the others approached the unoccupied bartender. The man had a rugged, grey beard and old, rough skin. He frowned, immediately noticing that none of them looked old enough to buy a drink in his bar. Ox beat him to the punch. "We're here to ask a question, and that's all. There’s suspicion about a Kishin-worshipping cult here. Do you know anything about that?"  
  
The old man grinned slowly. It was off-putting, almost as much as someone rushing into their house and locking the door shut without a word. "Yes, I've heard about the tales. You're talking about The Deep Ones."  
  
"The Deep Ones?"   
  
The elderly bartender leaned against the countertop, eyeing each and every one of the teenagers. "That's right. Even though that was long ago, things are still stirring up because of Asura's revival. The Deep Ones celebrate that, harvesting souls to sacrifice to the Kishin. They worship him and would rather follow him than the Grim Reaper." He let out an empty laugh. “Isn’t that something? Wanting a Kishin to be the world’s overseer.”  
  
"Are they still here?" Crona asked.   
  
The bartender nodded. "Oh, you best believe it. They come and go as they please in Innsmouth, wanting souls for either themselves or Kishin Asura. There ain’t no signs of them stopping either. The last thing they want is being put out of commission. That's why the townspeople head for cover when they see outsiders. They don't want to be caught in the crossfire of the impending massacre."  
  
“That’s terrible!” Crona shivered, recalling the many times Medusa took advantage of their fractured minds to commit similar atrocities. "No wonder everyone looked at us so strangely. We're out…side…ers…"  
  
Everything clicked in the students’ mind the same time the door’s lock did.   
  
"And it's time for you guys to join the rest."   
  
An eerie wavelength suddenly washed over the bar as the bartender started to change form. His muscle mass grew to the point his outfit ripped and split open parts of his skin, exposing the black muscles. The bartender hunched over as his bones cracked and protruded from the broken skin, the deformed fragments acting like spines and fins. His nose jutted out into a snout. His jaw expanded, and his teeth thinned out, sharpened, and multiplied, becoming more like a piranha's – teeth meant to shred rather than bite. Finally, his eyes bulged out and became opaque, large, and unblinking.   
  
"Oh, hell no! Crona, slice this ugly thing!" Ragnarok shouted as he transformed into his sword form. When the odd creature lunged at them from behind the bar, Crona did just that, bifurcating it with a single stroke. The two halves of the monsters were swallowed by darkness, unraveling to reveal a Kishin Egg Soul.  
  
Ox, Harvar, and Crona then turned around to face the rest of the pack. They were a race of hybrids, half-human and half an unknown marine creature. Their incoherent language sounded like a mix of guttural growling and gibberish as they swatted chairs and tables out of the way with ease, leaving nothing in the path of their prey. Their wide mouths showed rows of canines and incisors as slimy saliva dribbled out of them. The front row of hybrids took a deep breath before launching streams of unknown liquids at the students. Immediately, they jumped over the bar for cover. The jets of saliva had the force of fire hoses, boring through the wood easily.   
  
"I don't think I can handle fish monsters who spit out slime! That's disgusting!" Crona shouted, cowering away from the spot on the bar where their attacks had punctured.   
  
"It looks like gooey water more anything." Harvar pointed out as he observed said substance oozing down the wall before him. He then looked at Ox with a smirk. "And guess what conducts electricity?"   
  
Ox grinned back as Harvar transformed into a spear. "While I reign supreme outside, I can make today an exception." Ox said smugly as the spear generated a great amount of electricity. He stood up right as another wave of slimy saliva was fired at them. "Royal Thunder Drill!" Ox thrust the spear forward, resulting in him moving along a path reminiscent of a lightning bolt. The movement sliced through several of the monsters, and the electricity left in his trail caught the liquid, electrocuting the remaining ones. They all screeched painfully as Ox landed behind them, submitting to the powerful lightning and leaving behind Kishin Egg Souls.  
  
"Well, it looks like our mission is in full swing." Ox said as Crona jumped over the counter and regrouped with him. "The cult, known as The Deep Ones, has been sighted."  
  
"Now all we gotta do is kill the rest of those freakshows," Ragnarok said, an exhilaration laugh lacing his voice, "Let's hurry up and find them!"  
  
Both meisters nodded to each other and swung their weapons at the door, blasting a hole open in the wall as they returned to the outside world. Soon enough, enraged howls and cries filled up the entire town of Innsmouth. They guessed they belonged to the rest of The Deep Ones, but they also hoped the cult simply had very good lungs and not large numbers.   
  
"THOSE CAME FROM THE WATERFRONT!"  
  
"EVERYBODY, RUN! TAKE COVER!"   
  
On a road perpendicular to the one the team was on now, a herd of people ran for dear life – a virtual stampede full of screaming, panting, and crying. They wanted to get their havens in order to be safe from the incurred wrath of The Deep Ones and their impending arrival.   
  
Amidst all that, Ox picked out the most useful piece of information. "The waterfront, huh?"   
  
"Let's go meet these Deep Ones head on then." Harvar ordered.  
  
However, they weren't prepared for what they saw next. Before they even took one step, a young man was seen limping after the fleeing group, accommodating an injured leg. A look of utter terror was frozen upon his face as pure adrenaline ran through him, doing his best to catch up to the others so that he would be safe too. “Hey, we need to help him!” Crona said as it and Ox started running for the desperate man.  
  
Unfortunately, out of nowhere, a Deep One pounced on the man, knocking the lad to the ground and keeping him pinned with its heavier body weight. "N-no! P-please! I didn't anything!  _Let me go_!!!!" His pleas fell on deaf ears, for an inhuman force of nature like a Deep One cared not of the plight of humans. With its razor-sharp teeth and unearthly strength, the Deep One tore into the young man furiously. Flesh was torn apart, and viscera was treated like a delicacy. Blood and bone fragments were carelessly strewn around the spot, and the man's screams of bloody murder made the DWMA students' blood curdle.   
  
By the time the Deep One finished delivering its judgment, the young man was dismembered and eviscerated, nothing more than what could be best described as debris. Bloodied, organic debris. His soul no longer existed, having been eaten to satisfy the Deep One's own hunger. The students were so shocked by what they had just witnessed that they didn't snap back to reality until that Deep One set their eyes on them.  
  
Without warning, Ox and Crona charged forward and launched two powerful attacks, holding nothing back. The mixture of lightning and Black Blood consumed the Deep One, utterly annihilating it as payback for its cruelty. The resulting explosion was simply extra, taking out parts of a nearby building. Luckily, it was abandoned, much like some of the other structures.   
  
"I don't think I'm  _ever_  going to forget what I just saw." Ox remarked, trying to steady his racing heart. Crona looked at the scholar sympathetically. Because Crona had dealt with so much torture and similar evils, the swordsman was practically immune to such horror. Though, in hindsight, such an ‘honor’ was full of ignominy.    
  
Harvar's image appeared on the polished, golden steel of his spear form, peering into the smoking hole that was formed from the meisters' attack. It was thin enough for him to see beyond it. "Then please avert your eyes, Ox. We've got something else to do." Due to his cold and relatively emotionless personality, Harvar wasn't personally affected. Unlike most people who would look out of curiosity, Ox listened to Harvar and turned away from the building before the smoke subsided.   
  
The corner of Ragnarok’s mouth twitched as he too saw what was inside the building. "Well, now we know why this place stinks." If Ox didn't know any better, he deigned to say Ragnarok sounded disgusted. All the more reason to keep his eyes away. Promptly, Black Blood burst from Crona's back and fashioned itself into two, thick wings. With a flap, the swordsman took flight, holding a hand out. The Spear Meister quickly grabbed Crona's arm, and the team hurriedly soared through the air.  
  
They left behind the reason why Innsmouth had such a foul smell. It was the stench of rotting corpses littering the inside boarded-up buildings.   
  
Crona and Ox passed the entirety of Innsmouth in their attempt to reach the waterfront in due time. With a bird's eye view, they were able to see the state of decay worsen the closer they got. A good number of buildings and structures were outright destroyed. However, the most notable sight was the waterfront itself. The harbor had an excessive amount of sand that, like the rest of the town, suggested zero maintenance. The dark waters pounded the ancient stone breakwater furiously as if a storm were coming. Out at sea, a black reef barely jutted above the surface. Here, they spotted The Deep Ones beginning their incensed swim toward the shore.   
  
Crona quickly descended to the harbor as Ox jumped down. They were fortunate enough to arrive at the waterfront first before The Deep Ones brought the apparent war into town. More enraged howls and cries were heard from the waters, louder and more menacing than before.   
  
Ragnarok let loose an excited holler. "Hot  _damn_ , it's gettin' good now!"   
  
"Ox, it's time for a preemptive attack!" Harvar shouted, watching The Deep Ones get closer and closer.  
  
"On it!" Ox span the spear above his head several times as electricity surged across the length of it, raising one of his legs in the meantime. "Royal Thunder Quake!" He then slammed both Harvar and his leg down onto the shoreline, conducting the generated electricity through it and ultimately all of the water. Half of the Deep Ones still underwater were shocked, but the others proved resilient, enduring the shockwave as they started to surface. Ox gritted his teeth as he kept the assault, "We gotta make sure they all don't come ashore! They'll overwhelm us if they do!"  
  
"Okay! Ragnarok, we need to use Scream Resonance." Crona rushed over beside Ox and stabbed the tip of the black sword into the water. A pair of lips appeared at the hilt of the sword, releasing Ragnarok's soul wavelength in the form of a sound wave. The vibrations travelled from the sword to the water, propagating the intense sound waves through it. Because the sea's viscosity caused attenuation, Crona and Ragnarok put extra effort into the Scream Resonance to compensate. The Deep Ones screeched in agony. External pain from the electricity and internal trauma from the sound. The two forces combined overwhelmed them, taking away all of their strength. Soon enough, all became calm again, and Crona and Ox ceased.   
  
"Did we get them?" Harvar asked, his reflection appearing on the end of the spear.   
  
"If they know what's good for them, they better go belly up." Ragnarok said as Crona watched the reef uneasily.   
  
The team continued to watch the waterfront carefully. Everything was silent and still with no signs of life. It was like an intense standoff, no side knew what the other was going to do.   
  
Just then, the water turned completely black as the reef, now resembling a sea of ink. "Their blood is black too?" Crona commented with a titled head. Steam hissed as the waters started to boil and become thicker and thicker. "Eww, it's like pollution you would see in a horror movie! I can't handle water that looks like pollution from a horror movie!" Crona cried out, cringing as the water carried out its grotesque transformation.   
  
A gigantic swell appeared in the middle of the dark ocean. It expanded at an exponential pace, growing to such a degree that it eclipsed the sun and casted a foreboding shadow over Innsmouth. An array of thrashing tentacles broke through the surface of the growth as slits occupied the undamaged spaces. The slits then opened up as gaping maws or opaque eyes. Finally, fins extruded from various parts of its body. Ox and Crona could only stare up in horror at the monster who seemed completely composed of disturbing biological characteristics.   
  
 _"Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Yog-Sothoth."_  
  
"The only thing I got out of that was this freak's name." Ragnarok remarked candidly.   
  
"Is this thing like a fusion of all The Deep Ones?” Harvar asked aloud, gritting his teeth. This vile organism exhibited a wavelength as repulsive and sinister as its appearance.   
  
Yog-Sothoth released a series of gurgling sounds before lashing out a few of its tentacles at the meisters. So fast that, as they stabbed into the ground, Crona and Ox fell over from the tremor alone, taken completely by surprise. Capitalizing on this, Yog-Sothoth snaked the rest of its tentacles around them and hoisted them into the air, watching callously as they struggled in its grasp.   
  
"G-Get you grimy things off me!" Ox yelled, raising the spear and stabbing into the tentacle. "Royal Thunder!" The spear injected more electricity into the sensitive tentacle, prompting a shriek from the abomination, who abruptly threw Ox down and buried him in copious amounts of sand.   
  
Crona squirmed in the monster's grip, failing to get free. Yog-Sothoth opened the mouth closest to the captured Crona, revealing pure blackness within the maw. Crona's pale blue eyes widened in shock realizing its intentions.  
  
" _Crona, do something_!" Ragnarok shouted distressfully, weapon form shaking, " _It's gonna eat us_!!"  
  
Crona flipped the sword into a reverse grip and stabbed it into the tentacle, forcing Yog-Sothoth to reflexively stop and loosen its grip. This allowed Crona the ability to grab the sword with both hands. "Screech Alpha!" Crona swung the sword and launched a black and purple, monstrous-looking projectile straight into the monster's mouth.   
  
The Screech Alpha exploded in that mouth, causing Yog-Sothoth to violently throw Crona down as it coughed, smoke coming out of the other mouths in an attempt to get rid of it. Around this time, Ox managed to get himself out of the sand, brushing most of it off as Crona sat back with dull pain lingering in its back.   
  
"It's so hard to take this thing down when it's so big and has all of those features." Ox stated as Yog-Sothoth recovered from the attack.   
  
"Then just cut everything down! Peel away at the layers until there's nothing!" Ragnarok shouted.   
  
"I agree." Harvar said and then thought,  _"For once."_  Ragnarok actually showed a surprising display of insight given their situation.   
  
Yog-Sothoth lashed out its tentacles again. With just brute force and weaponry, Ox and Crona fought them off to the best of their ability. Crona settled with hacking off each and every that came close enough. Ox decided to either dodge or block and then retaliate. This allowed him to assuredly avoid damage while completing his objective. Mercifully, nothing spewed out from the severed tentacles, and anything cut off disintegrated into nothingness shortly after. Soon enough, all of Yog-Sothoth's tentacles were severed – nothing but useless stumps.   
  
"Ha! Not so tough now without your freaky arms, huh, freak?!" Ragnarok taunted.  
  
Ox casted a disapproving like to the Demon Sword. "Is antagonizing it really such a good idea?"   
  
With a guttural growl, Yog-Sothoth suddenly sprouted new tentacles from the roots of the old, bodily fluids spewing out as a result.   
  
Crona sighed. "No, it wasn't.”   
  
Harvar growled in frustration. "Great. Now we're back to square one." He racked his brain to try and come up with a solution to their problem.   
  
Crona held up the Demon Sword but made no action. Like Ox and Harvar, the meister was trying to figure out what to do as well. Ragnarok's initial plan had merit but ultimately proved to be ineffective. The monster's gigantic size prevented practical combat, and the area it stood on was off-limits. So that meant counterattacking and ranged combat were their only options.   
  
Which left only one choice for Crona.   
  
"Ragnarok, we need to try Soul Resonance." Crona asserted. Since the mission in Madagascar, Crona and Ragnarok continued to work on Soul Resonance. Although they failed each time, they got closer to completing one. Today, Crona felt confident. They were in danger. They had no reason but to resonate to survive.  
  
"What?!" Ragnarok exclaimed in outrage, "We still can’t get it! Why try now?!"  
  
Instead of letting them talk it out, Yog-Sothoth sprang into action. Most of its eyes glowed red and then bombarded the entire shore with energy beams, scarring it with explosions that sent sand, water, and debris into the sky. Ox and Crona were caught in the blasts, crying out in pain whenever they were hit.   
  
When the aftermath subsided, Crona groaned and propped itself onto its elbows, watching weakly as the tentacles began to make their way to them. At that moment, Ragnarok realized how grim things were. Soul Resonance really was their only option. "Okay, fine!" Crona stood up as Ox quicklu got up and used Royal Thunder Drill to destroy some of the approaching tentacles. Thankful for him buying them some time, Crona raised the sword and took a deep breath.  
  
"Soul Resonance!"  
  
The two symbiotic souls of Crona and Ragnarok started resonating. They may have been two completely different people, but they shared the same body. They understood each other more than anyone else. The desire to survive helped establish a foundation between them that previously was out of their reach. Crona's and Ragnarok's souls were finally able to match each other's wavelengths and bounce them back and forth repeatedly, intensifying the power of their total wavelength energy.  
  
A giant, reddish pink aura surrounded Crona's body as the Demon Sword dematerialized into pure black energy. Yog-Sothoth balked at the massive soul energy engulfing this one, small person. Ox watched the Soul Resonance in awe, feeling the incredibly strong soul wavelength. Soon, the aura around Crona stretched out to form two large wings while the rest of it diverted to Crona's back.   
  
The black energy spread out and filled the aura, adding in Ragnarok’s features. He had taken the form of a streamlined, draconian beast with a menacingly large wingspan that made spindly Crona look even smaller. His wing membranes were a deeper shade of black, highlighting the rather prominent skeletal structure of his wings and the black spikes jutting out of the joints. Several scale-like plates ran along Ragnarok’s back like armor. A long, tapering tail with plates and spikes extended from the end of his body. Finally, he still sported his characteristic ping pong-like eyes and the X between them.   
  
"Soul Resonance: Khmer Dragon."  
  
The Khmer Dragon attached to Crona's back let loose a loud roar of similar volume to Yog-Sothoth's unique cries. It sounded like Ragnarok's trademark 'Peee-Yooww' but more feral and animalistic.   
  
Haravar’s eyes widened at the sight of the mighty sable dragon. What a complex resonance this was. "How the heck did something like that come to be?"   
  
"A better question is 'will it be enough.’" Ox replied with a slight tone of worry.   
  
Crona felt relieved. Because they didn’t know the DWMA existed until Maka mentioned it in Italy, all Crona and Ragnarok had to rely on was Black Blood and their built-in Scream Resonance. The more complicated stuff like Soul and Chain Resonance were foreign concepts. In Crona’s eyes, this Soul Resonance represented their new roles as DWMA students, not Medusa’s puppets. Additionally, Crona and Ragnarok were trying to replace some of the abilities they formerly had, and Soul Resonance was the perfect tool. Khmer Dragon was a total improvement over Black Dragon, eliminating the need to consume souls and inch closer to insanity.   
  
Crona raised an arm toward Ragnarok, and the body of the draconic creature transformed into a black and white sword studded with spikes. "If you had just decided to write a poem, we could communicate better." Crona said as the wings flapped, jettisoning the meister toward the abomination.   
  
Yog-Sothoth had zero intention of backing down. The monster lashed out its tentacles yet again, intending to grab Crona from all sides and tear it to shreds.   
  
"I don't think so! Soul Resonance" Ox shouted as he aimed the spear forward. He and Harvar were going try out their own resonance. As their wavelengths amplified, the spear was completely cloaked in electricity, resulting in potent yellow sparks spraying out in other directions. "Royal Thunder Heavenward Drill!" With a thrust, the tip of the spear discharged a concentrated, tapering spiral composed entirely of lightning. The technique whizzed by at amazing speeds, severing the vast majority of tentacles belonging to Yog-Sothoth.  
  
“Now’s your chance, Crona!” Ox shouted, looking up to the airborne meister.  
  
“Strike it down before it regenerates!” Harvar added in.   
  
Crona nodded and used the sword to draw a glowing purple circle. "Screech Theta." The space inside the circle then turned black. Finally, a pack of black and purple monstrous entities with jagged mouths were launched from it, maintaining a circular formation. The group of fierce projectiles made contact with Yog-Sothoth, tearing through the eldritch beast. Yog-Sothoth released agonized, gurgling shrieks and growls as Screech Theta destroyed most of its body. Its remaining tentacles flailed like dying roaches, and its eyes blinked out of unison. Unknown fluids poured out of its gaping wounds. Yog-Sothoth squirmed uncontrollably and thrashed about, unable to suppress the intense pain.   
  
"Finally. Some noteworthy damage." Ox said in relief as Crona hovered above him.   
  
"Is it going to die now?" Crona asked carefully.    
  
 _"Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Yog-Sothoth!!!"_  
  
Harvar exhaled sharply. "That voice is grating my nerves now."   
  
Yog-Sothoth's incomprehensible language seemingly triggered something. The thick, viscous sea of liquid it stood upon rose around it, eventually covering up its entire body. The liquid conformed to every crevice and contour, filling up all wounds and missing chunks. Once that was done, new eyes opened up and new tentacles sprouted, completing the recovery process.   
  
"Aw come on! It's like the damn thing owns this side of town!" Ragnarok complained furiously.   
  
All of Yog-Sothoth's eyes glowed a deep blue color, summoning orbs of energy in front of them, before releasing them. Crona maneuvered through the air to avoid them or use its wings to block them. However, the force of the explosions was enough to send it in different directions despite the hardened defenses of Khmer Dragon. Ox fared much worse. He desperately crawled along the harbor, constantly tripping up due to the explosions and even getting caught in them a few times. Soon enough, Yog-Sothoth stopped its onslaught and made sounds vaguely reminiscent of laughter. The waterfront, including the breakwater, was nearly totaled.  
  
"So… mortally wounding it… or taking out parts of it won't work," Ox discussed, panting heavily. The left part of his glasses was cracked, and his outfit was ragged with a few splotches of blood, "So what then?"  
  
"We resort to overkill," Harvar announced, "Total annihilation."  
  
" _That's_  what I'm talking about!" Ragnarok roared rapturously. However, he wasn't sure where they could get the extra power if his Khmer Dragon form couldn’t provide it. "So, how do we do it?"  
  
"We use Joint Resonance," Harvar suggested, even though he thought the answer was obvious, "We combine our Royal Thunder Heavenward Drill with your Khmer Dragon. We'll obliterate that monster in one shot."  
  
"Fine. If it means teaching this freak a lesson, then I guess it's ok." Ragnarok said. His pride was a little hurt, having to resort to the help of another, but today was an exception. Crona smiled thankfully and nodded to Ox, who reciprocated it.   
  
" _Joint Resonance_!"  
  
Ox's electric yellow soul manifested around him, sporting his trademark hairstyle of two pointed horns and four, light orange lightning bolts. Crona's soul was a pure reddish pink, lacking any sort of extra detail. Now that Ragnarok no longer could take over Crona's soul, their souls were finally apart even though they shared the same body.  
  
Nevertheless, streams exited from their souls, steadily approaching one another, testing their strength for a connection. Soon enough, each and every strand of soul energy united and pulled the souls together to make them one. The unification process finally finished, creating a blinding amount of blue and white light that surrounded the meisters.  
  
Then, the light shattered. The outline of Ox's body was coated in reddish pink while Crona's was in electric yellow. Meanwhile, a stream of lightning exited from the tip of the spear and connected to the Khmer Dragon's tail like a wire plugged into an electrical outlet. All the while, Ragnarok generated a great amount of energy in his mouth.  
  
"Heaven Piercing Roar!"  
  
" _Peee-Yoooooooww_!!!!" Ragnarok's demonic and bestial voice echoed throughout Innsmouth as he released all of the energy stored in his mouth. It was mixture of potent lightning and pitch-black sound waves, resulting in a powerful and highly destructive torrent. The Joint Resonance attack penetrated through Yog-Sothoth's body and continued on to the black reef. Upon impact, a large explosion occurred, one that consumed the rest of Yog-Sothoth. The ground shook violently as the explosion blinded the horizon, taking out everything caught in it.  
  
Soon, it died away to reveal the extent of Heaven Piercing Roar's power. Yog-Sothoth was nothing but a Kishin Egg Soul. The viscous liquid was gone as well. The reef that they presumed to be the hideout of The Deep Ones had been reduced to ash. The ocean roared as untainted, natural water quickly refilled the empty waterfront.   
  
The Joint Resonance diffused as Ragnarok and Harvar reverted to normal. Ox and Crona collapsed onto their bottoms, greatly exhausted from everything happned. However, they found solace in the fact that it was finally over. Mission complete.   
  
"Ooh! Mine!" Ragnarok stretched out its body to snatch up the Kishin Egg Soul and eat it. Harvar decided not to waste precious breath complaining. Then, out of nowhere, they heard faint noises in the distance behind them. "You guys hear something?"   
  
"It sounds like," Ox stood and turned around, seeing the entire human population of Innsmouth clapping and celebrating their success, "Applause!" Crona, Harvar, and Ragnarok saw the townspeople as well. Unlike the secretive and esoteric people they initially met, they seemed relieved and overjoyed. If they had to guess from their investigation, The Deep Ones were responsible for the town's state of decay, lack of activity, and fearful environment. They were finally free.   
  
"If really you wanna thank me, gimme some quality food! I'm hungry!" Ragnarok shouted out, but it fell on deaf ears.   
  
Ox and Crona chuckled sheepishly. In the grand scheme of things, this mission not only saved a town but also resulted in a Joint Resonance. They smiled at each other as they came to an understanding.  
  
They were ready for tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We also do not own the Lovecraftian elements and references that appear in this particular chapter. Honestly, if it weren't for them, this chapter would have been scrapped and skipped due to the lack of ideas. Thankfully, that wasn't the case.
> 
> To clarify, Khmer Dragon doesn't exist in canon. As the narration says, it's a Soul Resonance version of the Black Dragon, meant to be its replacement.
> 
> Also, to explain why Crona's soul is so plain compared to everyone else, all the extra features were parts of Ragnarok's soul when he was close to taking over Crona. So, now that he's good and has his own distinct soul again, Crona's soul returned to normal.


	17. The Field Exam: Eyes on the Prize (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The time has come for Noel's field examination. Is Crescent Moon prepared? Let's hope they are.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.

**The Field Exam: Eyes on the Prize (Part 1)**  
  
 _Month 1, Week 3, Day 5 (Friday, January 19th)_  
  
Class Crescent Moon woke up today with nothing but business on their minds. The field exam was today. Even some of the most confident people in the class had their reservations, considering they still had no earthly clue of the details of their assignment. A few put in some last-minute work while others settled with getting something to eat and relaxing. Regardless of what they did, their hard work and preparation would be tested all the same.  
  
Presently, about a half-hour before students were allowed in, Tsuji, Rowena, Nayumi, and Marcellus were among the few hanging around the lot in front of the school entrance to pass the time. Because Noel had to arrive early, they had to as well. Tsuji listened to his iPod, Rowena played on her 3DS, Nayumi sat on the ledge kicking her feet and humming to herself, and Marcellus sat with his back against the elevated wall and slept.   
  
" _Yaaaaaaah_!" A lone figure sprinted up the flight of steps at incredible speeds, kicking off the final one as he jumped into the air while throwing up his fist, " _Hooooooo_!!!"  
  
Most of the people around groaned.   
  
Nayumi heard the sounds and saw two of their classmates. "Hey, look, it's Blackstar and Tsubaki." She jumped off the ledge and trotted over. Deciding they had nothing else to do, Tsuji and Rowena shut off their electronics and followed her. Marcellus stayed asleep.    
  
Tsubaki walked up behind her meister and saw the Ricardsens approaching them. "Morning, guys!" She greeted them with a bright smile as always.  
  
"Morning!” Nayumi and the other two stopped in front of them. “Ready for Mr. Ricardsen's field exam?"   
  
Blackstar eagerly pumped a fist, unable to contain the grin on his face. "Oh yeah! I am so ready! He can bring it on! How about you guys?"  
  
"Bet that we're rarin' to go." Rowena replied, smirking.  
  
"I know I am." Tsuji declared. Then, he folded his right arm over his chest while propping his left elbow up on it and placing a hand on his chin. "But the mission me and my partners picked coulda been better. We got stuck in a forest, wrecked part of it in battle, and Big LD had to take away our weekly commission for this week and next."  
  
Rowena looked at him, raising her eyebrow curiously. "Bro, we don't even get no weekly money. We live in a dependent household with someone who is employed by the DWMA."  
  
"…" Tsuji's blank expression turned into a dumbfounded one. "In that case, I don't know where he's gettin' the money from. Probably Dad without him even knowing."  
  
Blackstar spoke up, wanting to get back on the subject at hand, "Well, anyway. Me and Kid trained our butts off until we couldn't move at all!" He was very much proud of that. Not everyone had the physicality to do it.   
  
 _"Literally in your case."_  Tsubaki thought, suppressing a giggle.   
  
Then, Tsuji saw Kid and the Thompson Sisters complete the staircase and gestured over to them. "Speak of the devil. There they go."  
  
Kid spotted them and walked over. It appears they were as serious as him about this. "Well, well, you people are up bright and early." Kid remarked with a small grin, hands in his pockets.  
  
"We’re only early cuz our dad needed to be here early. Probably to get our field exam ready." Rowena explained, crossing her arms, "Speakin' of dads, Kid, what did Lord Death say 'bout that soul we got in the Netherlands?"  
  
Kid sighed, his mood dropping. "I've yet to hear about it since we gave it to him.”   
  
Blackstar scowled. He really wanted to know more about that soul and that creature in case they showed up again. "Man. Does he always not tell anyone what's up?"  
  
"My father's extremely hard to read, and he knows how to dodge questions." Kid replied, looking down thoughtfully. He too couldn’t stop thinking about those odds creatures. Was that the extent of their strength? Or were they only the first of many? Most importantly, where did they come from?  
  
"Besides, I doubt that soul was edible." Liz remarked as her face grimaced in disgust. "I can't imagine absorbing it."  
  
Tired of the speculation, Blackstar decided he wanted some answers. "Well, I'm gonna go and ask him about it." As he talked, he began heading toward the entrance. At this time, students started going in as well.  
  
"I don't think that's a good idea!" Liz said cautiously, calling out to him. “Don’t we have something else to worry about?”  
  
"It's not gonna take long! I'll be back before ya know it!" Blackstar reassured, giving a thumbs-up before sprinting into the Academy.   
  
Tsuji watched the Star Clan boy go and started laughing when he disappeared. "Please. If Lord Death'll Reaper Chop Nayumi for picking at his mask, he'll do the same for him asking that question."  
  
Kid shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. "It's already happened before…"  
  
 _REAPER CHOP!_  
  
"And it happened again."  
  


* * *

  
The warning hadn’t even rung yet, and Class Crescent Moon had every seat occupied in anticipation. Professor Stein sat behind his desk, idly rocking in his swivel chair. The words ‘FIELD EXAM TODAY’ were written on the blackboard behind him. He waited for the first bell to ring even though that was just a formality. Stein took the time to examine his students. Most were very nervous, others had an air of confidence. Several resorted to some subtle psychological tactics: Tsuji and Rownea listened to music, and Maka, Ox, and Caius read books. This distracted them from tension and stress. Claudia had reverted back to her original pink and white outfit. This would make her feel more comfortable. Kilik and some others meditated in their seats. This kept them focused on the task at hand.   
  
 _Ding. Dong. Dong. Ding._  
  
"Before I give you the details of your field exam," Stein said with an eerie grin on his face, resting his chin on his arms, "Tell me what did you think it would consist of?"  
  
"An obstacle course!" Caius spoke up, ignoring the look of disapproval Maka shot him.  
  
"A rigorous examination." Ox said, adjusting his spectacles.   
  
"Something hard and difficult." Crona mumbled, fearing the worst.   
  
"Candy!" The Pot Twins shouted obliviously.   
  
Stein heard several other responses, some that made him chuckle, before speaking up again, "Alright, alright. Now, why did I ask that? Well, you see, when preparing to take on an exceptional task or opponent, using what little time and/or information you have, you must have some sort of conjecture or strategy, even if they aren’t as effective as you’d like them to be. It is better to enter a battlefield with a 50% correct game plan than none at all and get killed due to reckless abandon. That said, allow me to tell you what the field exam truly is."  
  
The class listened carefully, on the edge of their seats, as Stein finally declared, "Your comprehensive field exam... Will require all teams to show off what they have learned and show it well...in order to take on me and other select instructors in combat."  
  
…  
  
…  
  
“Zero to a hundred  _real_  quick!” Tsuji shouted, shooting up from his seat. Most of the class shared his excitement, glad that the field exam was something they all were capable of doing. The vocal minority released a surprise ‘What!’ knowing just how strong the teachers and faculty at this school were.   
  
 _“A lot of them don’t seem surprised.”_  Stein thought, referring to those who reacted with indifference. "Think about it. We're obviously stronger and better, but many times you will be faced with that situation. That's why you were partnered with other people. It’s simply a step up from the worst case scenario – having to fight an opponent who wants to kill you with someone who might as well be a complete stranger. Sometimes that will happen in life as Meisters and Weapons. You have to learn to put aside those differences and make the best of what you have."  
  
He paused momentarily to turn his screw. "And don't think about skipping because you doing this field exam will count as your attendance. Also, this won't be a battle royale. Teams will take turns fighting one of us as the instructors rotate as well. We have also scheduled Monday and Tuesday of next week for the field exam in the event we don’t finish today, but we’ll give each team a maximum of seven minutes."  
  
The students murmured their assent. It was a very structured and straightforward assignment. However, there were two questions still on their minds: who besides Professor Stein were going to be their opponents, and who were going to be unlucky suckers to go first.   
  
"Now then. Let's get started, shall we?" Stein said, cranking his bolt again, "Blackstar and Kid, why don't you be our guinea pigs?"  
  
" _All right_! I don't get to die of boredom!" Blackstar shouted, shooting up to his feet.  
  
A Crescent Moon student in the higher rows of seats snickered. "Want us to write out your obituary?"  
  
Blackstar shot a glare at the person. "Who’re you callin' an 'o-bitch'?!"   
  
"This fool said 'o-bitch'." Rowena reiterated, sniggering as almost everyone burst out laughing at Blackstar's misinterpretation of the sentence.  
  
"Settle down. Let's get this over with." Stein said calmly, inching toward the exit, "Everyone else, sit tight and study something."  
  
Blackstar, Tsubaki, Kid, Liz, and Patty were escorted by Stein to the forest area, a place they had visited previously for training or other group exercises. The forest was as lush and green as possible, all in part to the school-hired gardeners. Even the bare earth looked clean. The cloudless sky showed a full view of the laughing Sun. Once they reached a large, grassy clearing, they found Noel there waiting for them. He was leaning against a tree with a patient expression on his face. Over to the side was a large timer currently set at seven minutes.   
  
"Welcome to your field exam, sirs and ma'ams." Noel drawled dryly once they were close enough.   
  
"Oh, sweet! You’re our opponent! This is gonna be awesome!" Blackstar exclaimed excitedly. He cracked his knuckles as he sent a challenging look at the older man. “I’ve been wanting to pay you back for last time.”  
  
“Yeah, yeah, here’s your chance. Don’t let it get to your head.” Noel replied dismissively. Kid watched him with a neutral expression. Unlike most of the teachers, Kid had never seen Noel in combat. He had only stories to judge from. Unlike the boys, Tsubaki, Liz, and Patty were all glad to be the Weapons and not the Meisters.  
  
Stein wheeled over to the timer as everyone else suited up for battle. Tsubaki transformed into her Ninja Sword mode while the Thompson Sisters became twin pistols. Noel reached into his pockets and retrieved his battle gloves. These gloves were black with metal studs on the knuckles and plates on the backhand. Noel slipped them on, pulling at the fabric over the metal bands hidden in the cuffs until they fitted comfortably.   
  
During this brief period, Kid thought about this setup. He knew Noel’s trademark skill was his superhuman physical strength. He had more than Rowena, and he used it indiscriminately. Kid's own combat skills were made less efficient by that alone. Unfortunately, Blackstar's fighting style focused on direct approaches – essentially trying to beat Noel at his own game.  _"We'll handle this like we did the werewolf."_  Kid thought conclusively, remembering that battle to prevent the revival of the Kishin. While Kid provided long-ranged assistance to keep Noel occupied, Blackstar would engage him in close-quarters combat and strike any blind-spots that showed up.   
  
Stein placed a hand on the large button on top of the timer, "Your seven minutes start," Blackstar and Kid tensed up, getting their game faces on as Noel stood unmoved. Finally, Stein depressed the button, "Now."  
  
Noel reacted before either of them. Clasping his hands together, he slammed his interlaced fists down against the ground. The concussive force was enough to send fissuring earth toward the two meisters. Luckily, however, both Blackstar and Kid were fast enough to evade it.   
  
"I'm coming for you, old man!" Blackstar shouted, rushing at the detention warden fearlessly.   
  
"Only my children are allowed to call me that." Noel muttered. Soon, Blackstar came close and jabbed ninja sword forward, but Noel backhanded the blade away using he plate on his glove. Kid took aim, but Blackstar was currently in his line of fire, preventing a clear shot at Noel. Kid resisted the urge to grit his teeth. He needed to stay calm and be patient.   
  
Meanwhile, Blackstar switched from using the ninja sword to physical blows, throwing punches and elbows at Noel. However, that just made Noel even more comfortable. He was free to use a variety of motions to block Blackstar's strikes, such as parrying his elbows with palm strikes and blocking his punches with his forearms. “You must learn what advantages your opponent has over you and be wary of them.” As he spoke, Noel sidestepped an attempted Soul Force. “There’s a difference between overcoming them and avoiding them.” He ended his statement by chopping Blackstar hard on the neck.   
  
Blackstar lose his breath for a moment but sharply sucked in air to quickly gather himself. He spread his leg so that he could maintain his balance. Then, he heard the distinct pop of Kid's guns, cueing him that he fired some backup shots. Blackstar tried to move out of the way, but Noel swiftly brought up his knee, crashing it against Blackstar's solar plexus. This put the Blackstar in the way of Kid's gunshots, and he yelled in pain as they hit him right on the spine.  
  
"Blackstar!" Kid and Tsubaki shouted in concern. Instinctively, the Reaper dashed over, temporarily abandoning his own game plan for the sake of his comrade.   
  
Noel caught a glimpse of the charging Shinigami.  _"Typical."_  Sure, one could have the perfect initial strategy. So what if it failed in practice? The aftermath of that truly determined the flexibility of combatants. Noel clubbed Blackstar across his face and sent him into a nearby tree. The force was enough to cause a break in its trunk and fall over with Blackstar still on it. That done, Noel locked on to Kid. "You're next."   
  
Once their eyes met, Kid immediately felt the compulsion to stop, and he acted on it. Noel used the moment to charge at him.  _"Can't let him get close to me!"_  The gunslinger held down the pistols’ triggers, sending an endless barrage of projectiles at Noel.   
  
Noel was hit by a few shots, forcing him to jump to the side. However, all Kid had to do was adjust himself to follow his movements.  _"He's smart. He's preventing me from getting close."_  The disciplinarian admitted, bobbing and weaving to the best of his ability as he tried to get closer.  _“I wonder if Kid has realized that I’m deadly only at close range?”_  
  
Kid continued keeping his distance while shooting. Even if Noel's physical durability was high, it could still be worn down. Plus, he was trying to buy time so that Blackstar could recover. Stein glanced at the timer and lit up a cigarette. "You have five minutes remaining!"    
  
Noel ducked under a few shots as others hit his shoulders. He dug one of his hands into the ground and flipped over a slab of earth. Kid stopped shooting and quickly moved left to avoid getting crushed. This brief window of opportunity was all Noel needed to finally close the gap. As the Reaper landed, Noel approached him and raised his leg, preparing to drop it on him. However, Kid reflexively jumped out of the way again, causing Noel to rupture the earth instead.   
  
Around this time, Blackstar finally recovered, using the stump that remained of the tree as support. "Blackstar, are you okay?" Tsubaki asked. Sure, her meister fought tough opponents easily before, but two blows from Noel really made Tsubaki worried.  
  
"Y-yeah, I-I’m fine, Tsubaki," Blackstar replied reassuringly, wiping his mouth and cracking his right shoulder. He needed the heavy artillery to take down Noel, and Blackstar was glad he and Tsubaki spent that time in Japan before the Baga Yaga Castle mission. "Let's get serious now. Enchanted Sword Mode and then Soul Resonance."  
  
"Right!"  
  
Black shadows enveloped the ninja sword, transforming it into the fabled Enchanted Sword. Then, Tsubaki and Blackstar proceeded to synch up their souls. The Soul Resonance drew Blackstar's shadow towards the blade, and transmuted it into a long, black sickle-blade with white ornate patterns on it and a handle with three short spikes jutting out of the side opposite from Blackstar's hand. A long black chain, composed completely out of Blackstar's shadow, circled around him twice before ending at the ground.   
  
"Shadow☆Star: First Form – Chain of Blackness."  
  
Meanwhile, Kid faked Noel out by shooting for his head, causing him to uses his arms to block, and then unleashed a salvo of gunshots at Noel’s unprotected torso. Blackstar saw this as his chance. He grabbed the long chain and lashed it out, binding a stunned Noel's legs together. Then, Blackstar disappeared and reappeared in front of him using his speed and landed a powerful spin kick across Noel’s face. Immediately afterwards, Kid fired three successive shots, further damaging him. Blackstar ended the assault by grabbing the chain again and throwing Noel away with it.  
  
"You have two and a half minutes remaining!"  
  
Kid took that as the cue to show what they had learned. "Blackstar, time to use our Joint Resonance."  
  
"You got it!"  
  
Kid's sky blue soul manifested around him, distinctly featuring the broken Lines of Sanzu, side-by-side with Blackstar's similarly-colored soul that bore spikes and black tattoos. The procedure began as the souls tried to link and merge.   
  
Meanwhile, Noel recovered from the assault and watched the team connect all of the streams and begin pulling the souls together. At this rate, they wouldn't need the rest of the time to try and pass their exam. Noel wanted them to have to earn their grade using all of the allotted time.  _"Well, I guess I broke that promise."_  He ordered every instructor, including himself, to hold back for the field exam, but he deemed the last Star Clan member and the Son of Death deserving of a peek at his actual power.   
  
"Joint Resonance: Execution☆Star!"  
  
Kid and Blackstar had a sky blue aura around their bodies. Outlined in pink from Thompson Sisters’ wavelengths, Tsubaki's weapon form was virtually identical to the Chain of Blackness with the exception of a proper, black handle and guard resembling that of a revolver. It also lacked the trio of spikes, instead possessing skulls that acted as a gun magazine. Liz and Patty transformed into twin cannons like in Execution Mode except the lengths of them were pitch-black with ornate white patterns made of stars, all of which were precisely and neatly in symmetrical formation. Lastly, both cannons were coated in a yellow aura from Tsubaki's wavelength.  
  
Kid crouched down as he took aim at Noel, who oddly stood still with his eyes obscured by shadows. Blackstar placed two fingers in front of his face, getting into his typical ninjutsu stance. However, before any sort of move could be made, an orange glint flashed in Noel's eye, the one usually covered by his bangs.   
  
Then, Noel's soul wavelength started to leak out from his body, becoming denser and denser by the second. Soon enough, nothing more than a giant surge of bright orange energy surrounded Noel, causing Kid and Blackstar to balk. His large, orange soul manifested around him, possessing spikes like that of a medieval flail with chains hanging from some of them. Most outstandingly, his wavelength occasionally showed the murky faces of demons, who roared hollowly. Noel looked at the two students with cold, hardened eyes. His right one stayed normal; however, his left was completely different: it had black sclera, glowing orange irises with broad black rims around them, and demonic slit pupils.   
  
"W-What is this?!" Kid started to sweat, and his palms grew damp, having never seen something like this before. The size was nothing new to Kid, but it was the odd left eye, evil-feeling wavelength, and strange demon faces that really affected him.   
  
"H-he's a behemoth!" Liz shouted fearfully. Noel's soul disappeared, and the immense wavelength started to calm down, but the students could still feel the power radiating from him. “Oh my God, no wonder he’s so scary!”  
  
“I think it’s pretty cool.” Patty said innocently, watching her older sister freak out like always.   
  
"Now Noel's showing his true strength," Stein said to himself, taking the cigarette out of his mouth before blowing out smoke, "Even though he wasn't supposed to, but there it is – the Enchanted Eyes… well, Enchanted  _Eye_ in his particular case. A dangerous bloodline skill that grants the owner a 'Demonic Wavelength' upon activation. It is said that a person with it exchanges a small part of his or her humanity in exchange for power. This skill is normally dormant and requires a person to be in a state of extreme duress in order to first awaken it."  
  
"I sincerely hope none of you expected to finish early. You insult my ability as a teacher." Noel stated simply. Now that everything was calm again, the only proof that he had activated his Enchanted Eye was the glowing left eye itself. His bangs over it had parted to put it all on display. “Whenever you have time to do something, it’s best you use  _all_  of it, and wisely.”  
  
"Hmph. Well, we apologize." Kid replied, remaining professional as always. He had got over the initial disbelief and was now back in action. He then aimed his twin cannons. "But we still have an exam to pass."  
  
Undaunted, Blackstar smirked. It was not very often he fought an opponent like this. "Too bad this is only an exam. I wouldn't mind keeping this up!" Blackstar swung his weapon, and it released a black lunette projectile. Noel crouched down to avoid the attack, only to be blasted by two orbs, one black and the other blue, that came from Kid and his twin cannons.   
  
Noel stood his ground to stop his backward momentum from the hit. Then, he stomped his foot, splitting the land with a shockwave of Demonic Wavelength. Blackstar and Kid hurriedly moved out of the way, noticing his blows were even stronger before. They knew right then and there they had to end this now. Kid let himself fall to the ground, sliding on his side as he aimed his cannons and fired two more orbs, smoke pluming from the barrels upon discharge.   
  
Noel adopted a sort of fighting stance as he gathered a large amount of Demonic Wavelength around one of his fists and bent the arm backwards. "Fist of Balam!" He thrust it forward in a punching motion at the oncoming blasts. This resulted in a surge of bright orange wavelength energy being projected, complete with the obscure demon faces from before. The two projectiles clashed briefly before exploding, enshrouding everything with dust and smoke.   
  
"Blackstar, now's your chance!" Tsubaki called out, trusting in her partner's skills.   
  
Blackstar nodded, using his enhanced speed to quickly close the gap between him and Noel right as the aftermath subsided. "Finishing Strike: Black☆Star Big Wave!" The Star Clan boy delivered both an elbow strike and a punch simultaneously. Upon impact, a huge amount of soul energy was sent into Noel's body, enough even to produce small balls and faint blue light.   
  
Noel grunted stridently, coughing up some blood. The Demonic Wavelength that lingered around his body started to fluctuate and thin out. Stein flicked away his cigarette as he spoke to himself, "The Demonic Wavelength is still what it says – a wavelength. Something like a Soul Force attack that disrupts its flow will throw it in disarray. Wave attacks are a particular weakness for Noel as well."  
  
"Let's finish this up!" Kid said as he crouched down and aimed the cannons again. Blue and black orbs formed in front of the barrels which residual static electricity radiating from them. Soon, the orbs were connected by this static, giving them the appearance of bolas. "Fire!" The attack was released with enough recoil to fling Kid's arms back.   
  
Blackstar got out of the way, leaving Noel wide open. The detention warden glanced at the timer, seeing that it was in its final seconds and decided that was enough. As the attack closed in on him, he mumbled one last thing.   
  
"You passed."  
  


* * *

  
To keep the operation going smoothly, soon after Blackstar and Kid departed, Sid came in and requisitioned another team to come to a different area of the forest. The rationale was that there was no sense in having everyone wait while one team went at a time. It would be more efficient if multiple teams did their field exam simultaneously.   
  
Which led to now.   
  
"The Living  _End_!"  
  
A towering cross of energy suddenly appeared in the sky. Once it disappeared, a plume of dust and smoke replaced it. Over at the area of interest, an enormous crater was left in the wake of the explosion. Nearby, Rowena and Kilik were some feet away, panting heavily. Evidently, they had just narrowly avoided this attack. Over to the side was Gregory near the timer, which had T-minus three minutes on it. The smoke from the crater died away, revealing Sid as he walked out of it, smirking dangerously as he hauled his tombstone.   
  
"He's pretty tough for a zombie." Rowena remarked, evening her breath.  
  
"Even though I kinda find it odd that, as a zombie, his skin is blue and isn't gray and decaying." Nayumi added in, remembering a few of the zombie apocalypse movies and video games she had seen and played.    
  
" _Focus_!" Kilik shouted, sprinting over to Sid at top speeds and then taking a great leap. He clenched his right fist as fire flared around it. With a roar of effort, he threw his punch, using the momentum of his fall to give it more power, "Pot of Fire, Triple F!"'  
  
Out of nowhere, Sid dropped right into the ground, not even leaving a hole. Kilik inadvertently smashed his flame-encased fist on the surface, charring it. "Where'd he go?" The Pot Twins asked distressfully, their reflections looking around the area.   
  
Kilik smacked his teeth in frustration and jumped back. "He went underground!" Kilik   
  
"In that case," Rowena planted the sledgehammer’s head on the ground. She glanced at the soil below as she clenched one of her fists, " _Let's bring him out_!" She raised and slammed her fist on the ground with a thunderous boom. The land ruptured and oscillated violently from the concussive force of the punch. Rock cracked, grass flew, and sediment rose as the earth cried out from the attack.   
  
Kilik crouched down and placed on a hand on the moving earth to brace himself and keep his balance. Sid, meanwhile, was forced out of the ground, barely able to keep himself still on the uneven plates of earth Rowena uprooted. "You've gotta be kidding me!" He exclaimed. She had surprised him yet again.   
  
Rowena looked at Sid and smirked pridefully, resting the sledgehammer's shaft across her shoulders, "There you are."  
  
"One and a half minutes remaining." Gregory announced, standing by the timer unmoving as dust and gravel billowed past him.    
  
Kilik realized how much time they had wasted. Sure, they spent most of the time showcasing their teamwork, chemistry, and individual skills. However, they had yet to show off the most fundament thing of this field exam: their Joint Resonance. Well, now was the time to act. "Alright, everyone. Let's suit up." He ordered as Sid jumped back to create some distance and camped out on unaffected land. Rowena nodded as she stepped up beside Kilik, knowing exactly what he meant.   
  
The Pot Meister's glasses glinted as he punched the gauntlets together, "Time for Deadly Destruction Twins. DDT."  
  


* * *

  
Over at another spot in the forest, the team of Caius, Maka, Claudia, and Soul just now reached their exam site. A team who had already finished told them to come to this particular location. So now, all that was left was to see who would be conducting their examination.   
  
"Nice of you four to come!" Kathi greeted brightly, waving at the quartet of young teenagers with a cheery smile. Over to the side was Mifune sitting on the ground in a meditative position near a timer set at seven minutes.   
  
"M-Ms. Rumeri?" Caius said with a hint of disbelief as Soul and Claudia blinked.   
  
“What are you doing here?” Maka questioned, sharing Caius's incredulity. Sure, she knew that Kathi was a Three-Star Meister, but a retired one. In fact, she had been in retirement for two years, now nothing more than an employed librarian for the DWMA. In her opinion, a better option would have been Lady Mizuki, the Full Moon homeroom instructor, or Justin Law. But alas, this was a reality she couldn’t change. She had an exam to pass.   
  
“To proctor you, duh!” Kathi answered with a laugh, rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment. "We were told to go easy on you guys for the field exam, but since I'm rather out of practice, I guess me going all out would make up the difference. Is that okay?"  
  
"Yeah, sure, whatever floats your boat, Ms. Rumeri." Soul replied nonchalantly.  
  
"Perfect!" Kathi clapped her hands together as she said one final thing, "But, don't worry about me. Try to apply everything you've learned. I'll be fine, so don't underestimate me because I'm… well, me." She added a meek smile, "I want an honest fight from you guys. Understood?"  
  
“Wait. Hold on one second.” Everyone turned to see Mifune fiddling with the timer. It had activated prematurely, and the numbers skipped digits. “I need to fix this. I think it’s glitching.”  
  
“Take your time, Mr. Mifune!” Kathi said, smiling at him, “I know technology isn’t your thing, so we’ll be patient!”  
  
Mifune sighed. “Don’t remind me.” He was best with children and swords, not high-tech devices. It didn’t help that Kathi couldn’t provide much aid herself. She was less tech-savvy than Mifune.   
  
Claudia guessed this would take some time, and she wasn’t in the mood to stand around idly. She glanced around as she thought about something to talk about. She then noticed the hair clip in Kathi’s hair. “Oh my. Ms. Rumeri, that’s so pretty.” She pointed at her hair clip so that she knew what she was talking about, “Where did you buy that?”  
  
“Oh, this?” Kathi placed a hand on her hair clip. “Lord Death gave it to me as a gift when I announced my retirement two years ago.”  
  
“That’s such a nice gift, and the blue is so beautiful.” Claudia said, smiling. Now, she wanted to find something similar to go with one of her many dresses.  _“In fact,”_  She glanced over at Caius, who stood with his eyes closed and arms crossed,  _“It’s colored like Caius’s Soul Blaze. Wow.”_  
  
“Finished.” Mifune announced. Soul and Claudia transformed into their weapon forms and slipped into their meisters' hands. Kathi adopted a battle stance that involved keeping one hand forward with the fingers straight and the other bent backwards readily. Mifune removed one of his katanas and pressed the timer with it, "Begin."  
  
Maka started it off by charging at Kathi and taking a leap with the scythe above her head. The librarian sidestepped the following slam of the weapon. Kathi then placed her hands on the shaft of the scythe, preventing Maka from lifting it up again, and used it as support to lift her legs and kicked both of her feet into Maka's face. She lost her grip on the scythe and fell on her back hard.   
  
"Maka, I'm coming!" Caius shouted, rushing over to her aid as he positioned the lance for a jab.   
  
This of course alerted Kathi of his presence as she took a hold of the scythe. "Hey! I didn't say you could wield me!" Soul shouted angrily as he was lifted off of the ground. Ignoring him, the librarian swung the scythe right as Caius thrust the lance. Sparks flew from the collision, but the force caused the lance to slip from Caius's grasp.  
  
"You're right. Terribly sorry." Kathi finally responded to Soul, tossing the scythe back over to Maka. Just as she got up, the scythe grazed her side and pinned her to the ground by her long coat.   
  
 _“Great. No backup.”_  Caius knew it wouldn’t be smart to turn his back on Kathi to retrieve his weapon. He had to fight hand-to-hand. He ignited his hands with Soul Blaze flames and rushed at her, throwing punches with his flaming fists. Kathi ducked and dodged Caius's punches, throwing some of her own as well as chops with a flattened hand. Caius used his own arms and hands to block Kathi's responses to his actions. However, once he exposed his side after a particular block, Kathi kneed him in his ribs. The Vladingham lost some of his breath as he instantly felt dull pain, getting knocked away by her.  
  
"After all you've been through, this is the strongest you’ve become?" Kathi questioned after watching Caius tumble but recover on his knees. He gritted his teeth as he went to retrieve his lance but kept an eye on her. She then glanced at Maka, who successfully removed the scythe off her. “Tell me something. Do you have any regrets? Insecurities? Anything like that?”  
  
Once they had their weapons, the two charged at her, giving out battle cries. They attacked Kathi at the same time, but she put herself in a position to avoid the blades of the polearms and block the shafts with her arms. “Try not to let it weigh you down. Stuff like that is killer on your performance. Focus on your goal with an open heart and mind.” She continued her lecture. Maka and Caius pulled their weapons back and kept swinging, extra cautious not to put each other in danger. It was a synchronized dance almost. Maka and Caius knew when to strike and when to let the other go.    
  
However, Kathi kept a keen eye on both of her opponents and continued to dodge their attacks. She wanted to use this opportunity to get something through Maka’s and Caius’s head. “No matter who you are, you’re going to fail at something sooner or later, badly or otherwise. It’s what you do afterwards that defines you.”  
  
“What are you trying to say?” Maka asked as she crouched down and swung her scythe low.   
  
Predictably, Kathi jumped over it, giving Caius the chance to ram the blunt end of the lance into her side, returning the favor from before. She gasped sharply before her body skid across the dirt. Keeping one hand on the hurt area, she clawed at the ground with the other to stop herself. Pushing her glasses up with the knuckle of her forefinger, she looked up to the meisters and finally answered Maka’s question. “How do you plan on dealing with adversity? Are you going to let it ruin your life, make you despair, or are you going to fight and keep hope in your heart?”  
  
All of them were certainly taken aback by Kathi’s questions, not expecting this to be part of their field exam. Caius had no clue what to say, considering he was still trying to resolve personal issues himself. However, Maka had more than enough experience and decided to speak from them. “Well, I’m certainly not going to let something like adversity control me. The fear of failure, fear of hopelessness, of the unknown. I don’t care about  _any_  of that. We might get scared, but that’s what makes us stronger! You can always find something to keep hope about! Even out of nothing!”  
  
Kathi accepted the response. That told her they should be fine in the future. “Hm. Works for me.” She flashed thumbs-up and gave them a wink. “Just something to get your brain flowing. Take it from a 37-year-old who’s been through many ups and downs.”  
  
Soul’s jaw dropped in shock. “You are  _not_  37.”  
  
“Focus, Soul!” Maka shouted as she span the scythe above her head and assumed a defensive stance, “Come on, Caius! Let's show her what we can do!”  
  
Caius calmly twirled the lance with his wrist as the center of rotation. "Lead the way."   
  
Soul knew that was his cue. Inside the spiritual dimension of his weapon form, he slipped inside the Black Room and sat in front of his piano. Kathi stood there, watching them expectantly. While some of the instructors might have opted to stop them, that wasn't her intention. After all, Joint Resonance was an integral part of this exam. Preventing them from doing it would undermine the purpose.   
  
"Let's go! Joint Resonance! Donum Dei!"  
  
Kathi smiled meekly again as she moved some of her hair out of her left eye, feeling the rushing wind from the Joint Resonance. Soon, the two meisters stood there with their transformed weapons. Maka and Caius then charged at her. The former started off the assault, swinging her scythe as it left behind a trail of wavelength flames. Kathi barely dodged, the attack grazing her right arm, scorching off some of the sleeve, and nicking the bare skin. Then, Caius capitalized, thrusting the lance with a burst of light that hit Kathi dead in her torso, sending her into a tree hard.    
  
As her breath was taken away, Kathi realized she had four minutes left of this.  _"Well, there goes my moment."_  she thought self-deprecatingly.


	18. The Field Exam: Eyes on the Prize (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second of the field exam. End of the Joint Resonance Training Arc.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.
> 
> This chapter also debuts a character named Klemens, a meister, owned by Abysmai of DeviantArt.
> 
> EDIT (3/29/15): If my "Gupi" long ago didn't tell you whose character arc was next, this edited chapter should tell you outright: Crona and Ragnarok.

**The Field Exam: Eyes on the Prize (Part 2)**  
  
_Month 1, Week 4, Day 1 (Monday, January 22th)_  
  
_“Crona. Come in here.”_  
  
_Crona didn’t want to, but it did. She was toxic, eating away at Crona’s conscience until it was but a phantom. She was absolute; every order was to be done. She was its mother, the one who gave it life. Crona’s legs moved automatically, exiting the dark chamber and entering the room the voice came from._  
  
_“It’s time to see if you’ve really grown.”_  
  
_Crona saw an elderly man bound and gagged on an examination table. His screams for help were muffled, and his face was covered in sweat. Powerless he was, he squirmed in his restraints, clinging to that last, fleeting bit of hope that they would loosen, and he could get free. A dry lumped formed in Crona’s throat when they made eye contact. Crona saw nothing but pure fear, helplessness, and despair._  
  
_“Kill this man.”_  
  
_The old man flailed in his shackles even harder. He wanted to live the rest of his days peacefully, not at the mercy of this woman and her child. Crona stared up at the old man, briefly hesitating as the last remnants of its conscience fought for control. This was a human life. Not an animal, not a dragon, not a monster, but a living human._  
  
_Crona’s spine jerked as Ragnarok appeared out of it. He licked his lips, ready to eat yet another soul. “What’re ya waiting for, Crona? Let’s get to it!” Ragnarok transformed into a small sword into Crona’s hand, awaiting the kill._  
  
_A small staircase appeared in front of Crona, and that was all the coercion it needed. With every slow, methodical step up it, Crona realized it was becoming less of a person and more a murderer engineered to comply with her every whim. Crona now stood above the bound elder, who stared at it with wide, fearful, pleading eyes. He made sounds not like screams. Possibly attempts to appeal to its better nature. They were noises that needed to be silenced._  
  
_The first stab only made it worse. His screams of bloody murder threatened to overcome the gag. The next two changed nothing. The fourth, however, sealed the deal. The old man’s body grew weak, cold, and pale. The life faded from his eyes, and he was freed from the pain._  
  
_Crona withdrew the blood-soaked sword, a pure soul impaled on the tip. With only the slightest provocation, Crona had taken a life like its own. It wasn’t a murderer. It was a monster. It was…_  
  
_“My child.”_  
  
_Snakes slithered around Crona as the room turned black, wrapping around every one of its limbs, claiming ownership. The vectors tenderly caressed the emotionless child as a hand reached out from the darkness and forced it to look up. Look up to two yellow eyes._  
  
“My _sweet child.”_  
  
Crona screamed briefly as it threw the covers away. The swordsman’s face shined with sweat, causing its tousled pink hair to mat against it. Crona slowly looked around, trembling. It was still in the room below the school, safe and sound. It was all just a dream. A very bad dream.   
  
“R-Ragnarok?” Crona squeaked out, “A-Are you there?”  
  
Crona felt a familiar sensation and finally heard the telltale voice. “Yeah, I am. Hard to sleep when you’re busy whimpering, tossing, and turning.” Ragnarok answered with a small yawn as he plopped onto Crona’s head. “Ew, you’re all sweaty.”  
  
Crona breathed a sigh of relief, starting to relax. The shaking stopped, and its heart slowly returned to a normal pace. “I had a nightmare about her.”  
  
“She’s  _dead_.” Ragnarok said tiredly – not from annoyance, but from exhaustion. “Remember? Screwhead, Marie, and Albarn told us they killed her.”  
  
How could Crona forget? The moment Maka announced that Medusa died when she was expelled from Rachel’s body, Crona felt as if its and Ragnarok’s lives had changed for the better. They had a new life at the DWMA, forever free from the pain. But none of that changed the past, all the things Crona and Ragnarok did in her name. With a sigh, Crona replied, “Yeah, I do. It’s just… some things you can’t forget, you know?”  
  
“Well, yeah, but you ain’t gotta let it take you over.” Ragnarok contended, “For example, I forget I was a mean, insane son of a bitch until you bring it up in some way, shape, or form.”  
  
“You’re still mean at times.”  
  
Ragnarok growled. “That’s beside the point!” At times, he thought he had the worst job in the world, having to play counselor with the most negative person on the planet. But, stupid Crona was his partner, the one person who knew him better than anyone else. “Look, Crona, what I’m trying to say is you gotta forget the bad times and think about the good. I’m not a Demon Sword no more, and you’re not close to being a Kishin. We’re Weapon and Meister. Got that?”  
  
“Y-Yeah.” Crona replied. Perhaps Ragnarok was right. A better outlook on life might keep away these nightmares and thoughts of Medusa. Anything to look forward to the bright future, not back to the horrid past. “R-Ragnarok, do  _you_  like being here? Away from your past life?”  
  
“Stupid Crona, asking these dumb questions.” Ragnarok grumbled as he receded back to his meister’s body. “Go back to sleep.”  
  
Crona smiled as it laid down and pulled the covers back over it. The dream that followed was significantly more pleasant. It was a dream about the many great people here in the Academy, ones who would never do harm to either of them.   


* * *

  
While most of the class were able to do their field exam Friday, some didn't. The chalkboard in Class Crescent Moon basically summarized all procedures. Those who had taken it were excused, but the others of course had to stay. An instructor would soon come for them. As expected, many of the students allowed to skip jumped at the opportunity, ready to go eat some breakfast, go on a mission, or play hooky. Naturally, the others were jealous.  
  
"Well, Maka, it looks like we got first period to ourselves." Soul remarked, reading the stuff on the blackboard with his hands into his pockets.  
  
"I guess so." Maka replied simply. She didn't feel like going on a mission, so Maka decided to go check out a new book. "Well, Soul, I'm gonna go to the library."  
  
Soul nodded. "Alright. Hey, go check on Ms. Rumeri too, will ya?"  
  
Maka cringed a little. She wouldn't be surprised if Kathi had been replaced as a field exam conductor today. Her team did get rather rough with her. Then, Maka's right eye ached, a remainder the librarian's prowess, and she instinctively rubbed it. Soul caught this and grinned at her. "What's the matter? The black eye Ms. Rumeri gave you when she punched you not gone?"  
  
Maka sighed. "Oh, it's gone, but I still feel it." It ached again, and she frowned with a blank look on her face.  _“Out of practice, my foot.”_  
  
" _Take that_!"  
  
Maka and Soul turned their heads to the noise and groaned in unison. Patty and Nayumi were pitting their paper elephant and paper monkey, respectively, against each other – crude paper-mâché versus neat origami.   
  
"Nayumi!" Rowena called out. She was at the door with Kilik and the Pot Twins. Her arms were crossed as she tapped her foot impatiently, "Do you wanna go to McDonald's or not?!"  
  
"One sec-" While Nayumi was temporarily distracted, Patty seized the chance to slam her paper elephant onto her monkey, crushing with a loud crumple. The minute she saw it, Nayumi let out a loud, drawn-out gasp before tears poured out of her eyes in great waves, " _Nooooooooooo_!  _Jeremy_!!!"  
  
Patty threw her arms up in victory, laughing all the way. " _Haha_! Kyle wins!"   
  
Defeat was hard to accept, but she had to let it go. Her friends were calling after her. Large streams of tear falling from her closed eyes, Nayumi tremblingly held up her destroyed paper monkey, "Patty, my dearest friend." She paused to sniffle. "Please give Jeremy a proper burial in my absence."  
  
Patty accepted it. "Okay. He will be buried like a king."  
  
" _Nayumi Ardsen_!" Rowena shouted wrathfully, stomping over and dragging her away by one of her hair loops. "Bring your dramatic ass on!"  
  
" _Ow ow ow ow_! I'm coming, I’m coming!" Nayumi cried out, futilely trying to pry her hair loop from Rowena's strong grip.   
  
"Why do we know such strange people, Maka?" Soul asked, having watched that entire scene, unsure of how to interpret the spectacle.   
  
Maka shook her head lightly. "I would like to know myself, Soul." She then heard soft footsteps and quiet mumbling, turning to see Crona standing behind her trying to say something. "Oh, hey, Crona. What's up?"  
  
"M-Maka. I'm nervous. Th-this test is making me n-nervous." Crona said with a shaky voice. "I know we've done a Joint Resonance, b-but you know how sensitive it is. I'm scared we'll fail because of me. W-What should I do?"  
  
Maka suppressed a giggle. No matter how much Crona developed, it would seem its intense negativity would never go away. To her, it almost seemed cute. Though, she put those thoughts aside because Crona was asking for advice. "Crona, you're a great Meister and an even better ally. Be brave, relax, and don't worry. Just focus on surviving and do your best." She cupped Crona's hands, causing the pink-haired person to blush a little bit. “I believe in you, Crona. You can do it."   
  
Crona smiled warmly. "Thank you, Maka." The nightmare made Crona experienced a bit of doubt, but like always, Maka was there to effortlessly rebuild its spirits.  _“I’m not her pawn anymore. I’m me, and that’s all that matters.”_  
  
Soul then kindly suggested, "Why don't you go over to Ox and Harvar and talk about your game plan?"   
  
When Crona looked at him, Soul nodded his head over to the two, who were sitting at their usual seats. "Okay."   
  
Crona went to go do just that. Maka smiled sentimentally at the sight of Crona sitting down next to Ox. Since it seemed most of her friends were occupied with other stuff or gone, Maka decided it was time to finally leave for the library. Bidding goodbye to Soul, the Scythe Meister walked out of the classroom.   
  
" _Enough of ya smack-talk, ya chooks_!"  
  
Maka's eyes dilated to the size of pennies when two bodies suddenly flew through the air, passed by her, and hit the wall behind her hard. Maka slowly creaked around to see a male and female student ever so slowly slide down the wall and softly land on the style floor. She sighed and looked forward. "At it again, huh, Bla-"  
  
It wasn't Blackstar like Maka expected. Instead, it was a fifteen-year-old girl she had never seen before. She had hazel eyes and long but straight, shoulder-length ivory hair adorned by a purple and pink headband with a ribbon near the left side. She wore a white, long-sleeved mantle tied together by a purple brooch. Underneath this was a purple, knee-length strapless dress that featured a pink diamond pattern on the hems, complemented by white knee socks and shoes. She lastly wore earrings with metal, diamond-shaped pendants.  
  
"Oops, my fault, sheila. Ya didn't get hurt, right?" The girl said, finally noticing Maka. The girl's Australian accent was her most defining aspect, Maka thought.  
  
"U-Uh, no." Maka replied unsurely, "Who are you?"  
  
Someone else walked over. "Good morning, Maka. That's just my weapon partner, Madeline." Maka looked to the person, and it was somebody she actually recognized because he was a Crescent Moon Class student like herself. He was a seventeen-year-old brunette whose hair was cut shorter on the sides and longer on the top, easily showing his prominent jaw, high cheekbones, and an aquiline nose with thick angled eyebrows. He too had hazel eyes. His board body was garbed in dark-colored longwings with a button-down, roll collar cotton shirt, suspenders, and matching pants. "Those two were badmouthing her and her class. Though, I do regret that she took matters into her own hands."  
  
"Oh. Klemens. Hey." Maka said with an acknowledging nod. She then looked to the Demon Weapon and introduced herself. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Madeline. I'm Maka Albarn. For future references, there's a rule that states fights are to be conducted with a teacher present."   
  
"Really? I didn't know." Madeline said, crossing her arms as she arched her back to stretch it, "I just go in guns a-blazin'. Those two were just actin' all jumped-up and insulting the Half Moon Class."  
  
"And you must admit, she had a rather aesthetic conclusion to her short bout." Klemens remarked reflectively, cupping his chin as he recalled all the details. All ten seconds of it. "She landed precise punches to their torsos, twisting her arms as she sent them away so that, when they flew into the air, they spiraled in a figure eight motion. It was art in motion."  
  
"…what?" Both girls asked blankly.   
  
"Sometimes, you have to look beyond the ordinary to truly appreciate life." Klemens replied with a shrug, not sure why they were confused.    
  
_"I see these two still have things to work out."_  Maka thought. If she had to conjecture, Klemens and Madeline recently partnered up. The Weapon did not understand the Meister's philosophy evidently, and the Meister disproved of the Weapon's impulsive tendencies.   
  
"C'mon, Klemmy. Sid said we're up, so let's get our partners and become some tall poppers." Madeline said. Turning to Maka, the Australian woman spat in her hand and held it out for a handshake. "Put 'er there, Maka! It was nice meetin' ya and all!"  
  
"That's very flattering." Klemens said sarcastically, deadpanning.  
  
"Shut up." The white-haired lass retorted.  
  
Maka was  _so_  glad she was wearing gloves.   


* * *

  
The field exams were soon underway again. Quite a few teams were glad they had the extra weekend to prepare. Some even capitalized on the chance and asked close friends who already did it how the test was conducted. One could say the people who went today were doing better than those who went Friday.   
  
"You have five minutes remaining."  
  
Over at a part of the forest grounds, much of the grass was being burnt to cinders, adding to the damages that carried over from some of the more intense fights two days ago. Noel stood off to the side next to the timer, watching Kim take on Professor Stein. As she tried to incinerate the mad doctor with consecutive Wollanterns, Tsuji currently hid in the trees.  
  
"As good as he is, Stein is a close-ranged fighter without a Weapon," Marcellus quietly explained as his reflection appeared on the crystal ball of his Longbow Form. Tsuji had an arrow ready to fire, listening to his partner since he was smarter. "Since the two of you are mid- to long-ranged fighters, we need to assault this guy from a distance."  
  
"That's why we're here now." Tsuji replied with a smirk. Once the seven minutes began, he took refuge among the trees to adopt the role of a sniper while Kim distracted Stein. The quicker they tired him out, the better off they would be in the long run. Tsuji watched as Stein sidestepped another Wollantern from Kim, seeing that as his chance. "We'll see who will be dissecting who when I crack a bull's-eye through that bolt of yours!" The Bow Meister fired, unleashing the concentrated arrow from the longbow.   
  
Kim saw the arrow fire from the corner of her eyes and smirked.  _"Got him."_  
  
Then, the unthinkable happened: Stein reached out to the side and caught the arrow.   
  
None of them saw that coming. Tsuji's jaw threatened to fall off the trees he was on, Marcellus' lollipop slipped out of his mouth, Kim almost dropped her weapon, and Jacqueline momentarily couldn't produce any flames.  
  
Almost boredly, Stein cranked his bolt clockwise and idly span the arrow in his hand, his wavelength crackling in that same one. "An interesting strategy you all employed," he commented, grabbing his swivel chair and sitting in it backwards, "Kim stays put but keeps her distance from me while Tsuji tries to hit me from beyond. It would have worked if my Soul Perception wasn't sensitive enough to pick up on his position, sensed when he fired, and told me the type of wavelength he bore."  
  
"So much for that." Marcellus sighed, being put at the end of his wits. There was nothing else he felt he could do.   
  
Stein casually flicked the arrow back toward to Tsuji's exact location, proving his point. A shout of pain was heard as the boy fell out of the trees and landed on his head, a laceration across his right shoulder. "That was a fun little experiment, but now I think it's time we move on." Suddenly pushing off a foothold in the ground, Stein wheeled over to Kim at fast speeds, closing the gap between him and her instantly. He planted his foot on the ground once he was close enough and slammed his palm straight into her stomach. "Soul Force!"  
  
Kim's gasped abruptly when Stein drove his enormous wavelength into her small body, causing her spit out blood as she was sent straight into a staggering Tsuji.   
  
"Two minutes left."  
  
"What do we do now?!" Jacqueline asked distressfully as the two meisters got off each other.   
  
"I can't think of anything." Marcellus replied matter-of-factly. It was enough trouble coming up with the initial strategy. Trying to figure out a new one under these circumstances was an entirely different story.   
  
"C'mon, Marcellus, you're smarter than that! Don't be lazy!" Tsuji retorted, standing up as Stein ever so slowly inched toward him. The mad meister donned a sadistic grin as his glasses glinted. He got no response from the Demon Bow unfortunately.   
  
"I know one thing,” Kim said as she held up the lantern defensively, "We better use our Joint Resonance or else Professor Stein will beat us, and we'll fail."  
  
Tsuji nodded and initiated a Mode Change, going from Longbow Form to Javelin Form. Kim attached the pole to the lamp, turning Jacqueline into her broomstick-esque state. Stein ceased his advancement and raised an eyebrow, curious to see as to what sort of Joint Resonance these particular individuals had. The souls of the meisters manifested around each other, connected, and unified, activating the resonance.   
  
The javelin turned completely black while the shaft become hollow save for a few thin, cast iron bars. The front of the javelin was the only feature left untouched. As for the lantern, its entire pole turned into a brass fire iron with several small hooks jutting out directly beneath the unchanged lamp.  
  
"Joint Resonance: St. Elmo's Fire."  
  
Tsuji lifted the modified javelin over his head and threw it, the flames filling up the hollow shaft. Stein jumped out of his seat, kicking it over to the flaming projectile. A fiery explosion occurred upon impact, singeing the ground as hot flames and flares danced in the air. Kim meanwhile had her sights on the mad doctor himself as the prongs generated fire, surrounding the lamp above them in a ball of flames. She then slammed it on the ground, sending a stream of earthbound fire toward him. Stein removed his lab coat and put it in the way as he jumped away again. The trail of flames ate up his lab coat in a brilliant inferno, but it did its job in keeping it away.   
  
"And you guys wonder why Lord Death took away some of our commission." Marcellus mumbled to himself as he returned to Tsuji's hand like he would after a successful Meteor Javelin, recalling when Tsuji and Kim used St. Elmo's Fire against the Twin Gentlemen.   
  
"Well, well, that's quite impressive, you two." Stein commented as he straightened up and cranked his bolt yet again. He flashed the two teenagers an eerie smile as his screw clicked in place, "Let's go. It's time to dismember the both of you."  
  
"One minute left."  


* * *

  
In another part of the forest, Ox and Crona fought against Gregory Matilda with two minutes left on the clock. Their strategy was to use the seven minutes to apply what Noel taught them in order: learn Gregory's movements and attack patterns, react accordingly, and then close it out with their Joint Resonance. However, the Half Moon homeroom instructor put quite the wrench in that plan when he showed off his power.   
  
"Royal Thunder Quake!" Ox yelled out, holding up both his leg and an electrified spear, readying a slam from the both of them.  
  
"Great Sweep!" Before Ox had a chance to hit the ground, Gregory dashed over and performed a sweep kick. As he did so, a radiant purple aura coated his leg, granting it enough durability to parry the electrically enhanced spear. As Gregory continued his motion, a burst of wavelength energy followed, the rushing wind making sounds similar to a lion's roar. Great Sweep did its job in knocking Ox off his feet, and Gregory followed up with a spin kick accompanied by a similar phenomenon.   
  
Ox yelled out as the force of the attack sent him flying into a thick tree. Crona momentarily refocused its attention on Ox out of concern. "Ox! Are you okay?!"  
  
"Eyes on me, fool." The same bright purple aura appeared around Gregory's entire body as he charged at the Sword Meister. Once he was close to Crona, Gregory concentrated all of that aura to his left hand, thrusting it forward in a stabbing motion. The booming impact sounded like a furious lion as the energy flared outward like flames. "Focal Jab!"  
  
Meanwhile, Sid watched the fight take place with crossed arms and an unreadable expression,  _"Matilda sure wasted no time in activating Soul Fist. While it's better associated with the Olmett Family, anyone can learn it once taught by the right person. It's both a martial art and a technique, wrapping the person's body in his or her own soul wavelength and pushing the body's physical prowess farther than what it's normally capable of."_  
  
Gregory suddenly found himself faced with much more resistance than he initially expected. This was especially evident when he noticed Crona hadn't been pushed back that much. His hand hadn't even left the person's chest yet. "What?!"  
  
"Scream Resonance."  
  
Sid smirked,  _"Of course when faced with Crona and Ragnarok, who can harden their bodies with Black Blood, Soul Fist can't do as much."_  
  
A horrible sound wave suddenly filled the area, disrupting the effects of Gregory's Focal Jab and causing him to become disoriented. Growling with pain, he placed his hands over his ears as his Soul Fist aura deactivated, but that didn't do much to alleviate the ringing in his eardrums.   
  
"Haha, ya penguin suit freak! Can't break though us!" Ragnarok laughed boisterously after he stopped screeching.   
  
"Royal Thunder!" Then came a shot of lightning that blasted away the dazed Gregory, sending him farther back. "Crona! I'm here!" Ox ran up beside the swordsman, having recovered from Gregory's previous assault. "Let's do our Joint Resonance and end this!"  
  
"Two minutes remaining."  
  
"Joint Resonance!"  


* * *

  
"Aw, c'mon, already, Klemens! We've got work to do!"  
  
One of the last few field exams involved Klemens, Madeline, and their teammates. However, Justin Law, Kathi's replacement, truly epitomized the strength of a Death Scythe. With this favorite tune of  _Step Up_  blaring in his ears and a seemingly vacant expression on his face, he matched them blow-for-blow and then some. To make matters worse, they were close to one and a half minutes on the clock, and they had yet to seal the deal with a Joint Resonance.  
  
"I'm trying." Klemens panted. He was currently recuperating near an uprooted stone caused by their teammates' resonance. In his hand was a light blue claymore with a long, bandaged handle and a wide blade, each side sporting two sharp, curved spikes that pointed downward and had a thin split running up the center of it. Finally, a cyan supplemental blade went around the cutting edge. "You forget I've been practically thrown into the wolves these past few weeks."  
  
"That don't change the fact that ya aren't usin' me properly!" Madeline replied obstinately, her reflection appearing on the blade of her claymore form, "I'm both a crushin'  _and_  a cuttin' weapon!" She sighed as she continued, "We need to get together in the dojo every arvo and get some work in. My classmates already think I'm a bushranger for havin' a meister outside Class Half Moon."  
  
Klemens forced himself to his feet, having gotten a sufficient amount of rest, "Isn't Half Moon filled with classless brutes?"  
  
"Not completely. More like half." Madeline replied. A short pause happened before she released belated snickers, "Get it? Half? Half Moon?"  
  
"That joke lacked finesse," Klemens replied bluntly as he charged at Justin Law, ready to finish the field examination.  


* * *

  
_Month 1, Week 4, Day 2 (Tuesday, January 23th)_  
  
" _All right_!!!"  
  
The Class Crescent Moon homeroom shook from the cheering and hollering going on right now. The students were all but bouncing off the walls as they exchanged high-fives, hugs, and other sorts of gestures of accomplishment. Today, they had received their final grades, the conclusion of their hard work revolving around Joint Resonance. Almost all of those who participated received high marking, and those who didn't were nonetheless relieved it was over and that they learned something worthwhile out of it.   
  
Stein quietly sat behind his desk. Parts of his hair were still charred from fighting Tsuji and Kim. His set of clean clothes also hid some of the bandages he needed applied. He watched his class rejoice with a small but proud smile. He even ignored the small number of those who took out their cell phones to call or text their partners in different homerooms about their success. Such made him wonder if Gregory, Mizuki of Full Moon, Lelani of Blue Moon, or Noel would feel the same way after the completion of their students' future Joint Resonance assignments.   
  
_"Oh, well. Time to dash their spirits now."_  Stein thought without an iota of guilt, a creepy smile stretching across his face as his glasses shined. "If I may have your attention, class," The students stopped, tensing up when they saw his face. "Now that you're done with Noel's version. It's my turn. I want a five-page report about Joint Resonance. 12 font. Times New Roman. And it's due, say, next week."  
  
...  
  
...  
  
...  
  
" _WHAT_?!?!!"


	19. Deal With the Don: Cancer's Next Move

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cancer contemplates her next move, culminating in tense association with the underground world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.

**Deal With the Don: Cancer's Next Move**  
  
_Month 1, Week 4, Day 3 (Wednesday, January 24th)_  
  
Within Subterrene, the only sounds in Cancer’s otherwise silent sanctuary were the rapid, electronic hums of the advanced keyboard. A large, blood red soul floated still inside its resting place, its only company being Cancer herself using the computer beside it. She watched as many digits and data surged across the screen. Ever since her encounter with Maka and Caius at Venice, she worked endlessly on Project Omega. She wanted to figure out why it malfunctioned, why it wasn't strong enough to handle just two Meisters, and it appeared she found her answer. With a heavy sigh, Cancer glanced at the soul in its tube.   
  
_"I know you are probably sick of being incomplete. Soon, that will change."_  
  
Cancer was going to stop at nothing to ensure the completion of Project  _00000Ω_ : Omega. She owed it to the Lucrenians before her. Thinking about them, Cancer pressed a button on the computer and swiped her finger across the screen, showing a picture. She herself was in the middle, physically a teenager, still indifferent as ever. To her right was her mother Galene, dressed in a white lab coat. Silver hair, green eyes, pale skin; Cancer inherited everything from her. Cancer’s sister Neptune stood behind her, a whole head taller, with her arms wrapped her, a large, toothy smile on her face, and black tresses unkempt as always.   
  
Oh, how Cancer hated it whenever Neptune did that with her. It was a violation of personal space.  _“Speaking of her.”_  With another swipe, Cancer pulled up the picture of a wrinkly, old note. “When I can, Sister, I will go search for you so that you can help me.” The note told her that Neptune was alive and out there. After all, she put it in a place only Cancer would find it, conveniently several days after the massacre.   
  
She shifted back to the picture of herself, Galene, and Neptune in order to spare one last look. Just then, Cancer heard tapping and looked over her shoulder to see Henderson approaching her with a steaming cup of tea. He noticed the family picture on-screen. “Your once-every-blue-moon glance, Lady Cancer?”   
  
“Indeed.” Cancer replied plainly, taking it off-screen. “Whenever I need to reaffirm my goals, all I need is one look, or even one thought, and no further questions are asked.” She wasn’t just referring to her family either. She was speaking about every other Lucrenian like her as well.   
  
Henderson placed the tea on the counter, and she accepted it. “Tis be a shame Pisces, Jasmine, Cynthia, and Meriza all perished before we reached this stage.” He said, recalling the four Lucrenians he met 23 years ago when he first allied himself with Cancer. Henderson raised a hand up to his face, pondering. Despite his long partnership with Cancer, he never asked about anything personal. He took everything in stride and let subtle clues give him answers. However, now, Henderson’s curiosity got the best of him. “Forgive me, Lady Cancer, I must ask this. What happened? Are there any other Lucrenians beside the ones I know about?”  
  
“I believe so.” She answered, taking a ginger sip of her tea. She knew about two all but confirmed to be alive. Cynthia certainly believed other Lucrenians were out there, even though she died searching for him. “200 years ago; The Lucrenian Clan Incident. Out of 222 Lucrenians, half died, including Galene. All survivors were told to leave our homeland. ‘Leave’ in this context means ‘evicted.’ Most of us hid from the world out of shame, out of necessity, or grew tired of it all. The numbers dwindled over the years, but not quite to the point of extinction. I, Master Pisces, Jasmine, Meriza, and Cynthia are but only five of the ones you know about.”  
  
“I see.” Henderson nodded his head slowly, satisfied. The finer details would reveal themselves as they pleased. He watched the witch drink her tea and said, "I figured that would help ease your nerves." He then looked at the tube containing Project Omega’s soul and changed the subject, "What's the prognosis?"  
  
"It is going to need a higher form of intelligence," Cancer answered after she ceased her drinking, "It needs reasoning, comprehensive skills, and knowledge in order to survive. It cannot rely on basic instinct and observation like its previous form and its primordial state. It would be no better than an Anria."  
  
"And we know how that went." Henderson asserted, referring to the Netherlands mission.   
  
"Precisely." Cancer finished her cup of tea and returned the empty glass to Henderson. "Luckily, I have a designated room in the lower levels of Subterrene for this purpose." She neglected to mention that this particular room was supposed to be used later down the road and not at this juncture. The thought made her realize another setback. She dragged her hand across her face and groaned. "Too bad I need some more special equipment and hardware to make it work."  
  
Henderson put two and two together to grasp the problem at hand, "I'm guessing, since this revolves around artificial intelligence, you need more supercomputers and anything related." She nodded in response. Highly advanced the technology in Subterrene may be, but supercomputers were hard to come across. Case in point, the base's mother-computer was the only one they had.   
  
"If only I was capable of entering Atlantis now." Cancer stood up from her seat, lamenting her inability to return to her homeland.  
  
"What's there? And why not?" Henderson inquired. Throughout his long association with Cancer, she had yet to speak of her birthplace. In fact, he only knew of the name thanks to a fleeting, offhanded mention made by her some years back.   
  
Cancer approached the stasis tube holding Project Omega’s soul as she replied, "To answer your second question, a barrier was placed around the entire location after my kind's eviction by the Witch Council. As for the first, there are files and manuscripts from an old lab pertaining to Project Omega that would be of use. Maybe some old equipment too. Why did I not grab them before our forced leave? Many factors; time being one of them."  
  
Henderson left it at that, satisfied with the answers he got. "Well, tangent aside, say you improve Project Omega's intellect, what about its state? Are you keeping its technorganic physiology?"  
  
"For the time being, yes. That may change, but we shall see." Cancer replied, now facing her assistant. Of course, her decision to do that prompted another issue. "Though, now, we will need replacement material. Its body was badly damaged in its previous encounter."  
  
"We don't have enough here?" Henderson questioned, gesturing to everything in her sanctuary. Supercomputers were an understandable hassle, but tech was in surplus.   
  
"Not for what I am planning." Cancer responded. Henderson said no more because he trusted her judgment unconditionally. However, she then clarified, "Hypothetically, the procedures would put a dent in our own reserves. The magnitude of this next step is simply that grand."  
  
"So, we need supercomputers, other such hardware, more equipment, material, and parts." Henderson summarized the key points of their conversation, using his own brain to determine ways to assist Cancer in reaching her goal. "Then I must suggest we look in obscure places like the black market. That way, we can conduct business whilst staying under the radar."  
  
"Right." Cancer said simply. Henderson seemingly possessed more knowledge on this subject than herself, so she was more than willing to let him take the lead on this.   
  
"Allow me approximately an hour to go searching." Henderson turned around, walking away with the intention of going to his own quarters to carry out some research and possibly run some errands. "I will return with results."  
  
One hour later, right on the mark, he did.  
  


* * *

  
A shady complex stood some miles away from O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois. An impregnable, steel wall enclosed the area. Streetlights hung from parts of the wall, and the only entry points were high-security mechanical gates. The wall made the complex blend into the background, to be ignored by the city’s population. However, it was far from abandoned. People went to and fro like everyone else in Chicago after dark. Figures shuffled inside, and the entrances opened up to let in company in exhausted from Chicago's midnight rush.   
  
Inside the area, all of the buildings were chiefly Romanesque in architectural style, containing thick walls, clearly defined forms, and symmetrical plans, but most of them also had fortress-like designs and battlements without towers.   
  
In a room, someone prepared for a night out. A business walk, actually. The tall woman checked herself out with prying navy blue eyes at her vanity and dresser combo. She smoothened out her long, thick, black hair. A good portion of it hung in front of her face as she tied the rest into a low ponytail. It was supposed to be another day, but she felt different for some reason. “I got a bad feeling about something, but I don’t know what.” She said, leaning back in her seat.  
  
"Kujira. A man named Henderson called just now to confirm an appointment. It’s getting ready to rain too."  
  
"Thanks, Myke. I'm coming." Kujira replied, snatching off a black and red long coat from the nearby coat rack and putting it on. It was a great complement to her black slacks and shirt – latter of which was soon hidden after she completely buttoned it up. Her black army boots with red soles thudded against the wooden floor of her room as she quickly exited it.  
  
Meanwhile, around the corner in a dark and dingy alley, Cancer and Henderson stood in it patiently. They were cloaked in a ragged brown rode and used their hoods to hide their faces. They were like two unmoving statues, blending into the background as everything around them went on without a care in the world. It helped that Chicago, despite being the third most populous city in America, lacked a DWMA base. Cancer could release her Soul Protect without fear of detection.  
  
Soon they heard footsteps, and they turned their heads to the source. "Henderson, I presume?" Kujira spoke, her head also covered in the hood of her long coat.   
  
"Are you a representative of the Other Side Gang?" Henderson gruffly asked, prepared to attack this woman if identification proved otherwise.   
  
Kujira simply smiled as she pulled up the right sleeve of her outfit, showcasing a distinctive tattoo etched on her forearm. It resembled a barcode tipped with flames. "There's your proof. Kujira, at your service." She quickly hid the mark. It was a very recognizable one in Chicago, so only select people needed to see it. That, and it was beginning to rain.  
  
"Excellent." Henderson dropped his guard. Though, he was sure Cancer didn't. He looked over to her and nodded his head toward Kujira, gesturing her to speak of their reasons for this encounter.  
  
Cancer and Kujira faced one another. They could sense something in particular about each other, something that gave away their species. But, Cancer at least didn’t care. She was here strictly on business. "My assistant has informed me that your gang specializes in distributing high-end, computer science-related imports and exports. Long story short, I need about ten supercomputers. Highest quality preferred."  
  
Kujira smiled beneath her hood, dropping her head so that Cancer couldn’t see it. "Ten supercomputers. That all?"  
  
"That is correct," Cancer replied stolidly, "Once you have them, we will do an exchange at this loc—"  
  
"Well, well, well, look who we got here, fellahs."  
  
The transaction was cut unexpectedly short. Kujira whipped around to see three people approaching her and her clients. They had a distinct attire, wearing blue and black, V-neck suits with tribal patterns, black slacks, and suits. A decidedly professional outfit, yes; thus, the hooded jackets they wore felt dreadfully out of place. The suits' sleeves were rolled up to their elbows, revealing tattoos reminiscent of scarab beetles ingrained on their left forearms.   
  
Nervous beads of sweat ran down Kujira's face but she nonetheless grinned at them. "What are Chicago Gang members doing on  _our_  turf?"  
  
One of the gang members snorted. "We're on the verge of taking over all of Chicago. You guys are gonna go out of business soon."  
  
Cancer and Henderson found themselves in the middle of a gang rivalry. However, this petty enmity the Other Side Gang and the Chicago Gang had toward each other was of no concern to them. "Excuse me? We're busy here." Henderson spoke up uncaringly, eyeing the trio of gangsters, "So take your leave."  
  
"You tryin' to get smart with us, man?" One of the Chicago Gang affiliates lifted up the hem of his shirt to reveal three highly-developed handguns sheathed in holsters. "We will lay ya asses out just like we're gonna do sweetheart over here. Nobody messes with the Chicago Gang."  
  
"Soul Protect, release."  
  
The rain around the trio of Chicago Gang members fell harder and harder, getting to the point it was pelting them with great force. The minute they tried to move away from the spot, Cancer mumbled something. The heavy droplets of water soon became a fall of needles. The humans screamed bloody murder as the needles tore through their bodies, their cries for mercy falling on deaf ears. Once the last spark of life was extinguished, Cancer stopped, turning everything back into a harmless drizzle, and the pool of water beneath the fresh corpses turned red with blood.   
  
Henderson watched the scene with a neutral expression while Kujira only grinned. She looked at Cancer and chuckled, humored. “Water Magic, followed by Conversion Magic into Needle Magic. Color me impressed. You’re the first client I’ve had that’s a Witch like me.” She approached Cancer and placed a hand on her shoulder, unaware of the glare sent her way from the under the hood. “I believe this’ll be the start of a beautiful partnership. Can I at least get your name, sweetie? Or, better yet, let me get a glimpse of your-  _face_!”  
  
Like a bear trap, Cancer seized Kujira’s wandering hand before it even touched the fabric. The older witch yanked her hand back, flexing the fingers and cracking the knuckles to alleviate the dull pain. Henderson then interjected, “If we are done here, Ms. Kujira, we have an appointment with those same individuals. Let us finalize our deal."  
  
Kujira looked at the two with a dull expression. Apparently, they were not aware of how gangs worked. One did not associate with rival gangs simultaneously. That was both bad business and a recipe for disaster. "Is that really a good idea? What if someone finds out?" Kujira smirked at them, holding up a finger. "I mean, you've already admitted it to me."  
  
"They have something we want just as you lot have something we want." Cancer replied with finality.   
  
Losing a business deal was something Kujira's boss did not condone, but nobody wanted to risk an underground apocalypse. Besides, Kujira just wanted to look after these two clients. Then, a brilliant idea popped in her head. "Then how about a two-for-one deal?" Cancer stared at her, and she took that as a sign to continue. "The Other Side Gang wants the Chicago Gang out of the way, and you want your stuff. You help us overthrow them, and we'll take over their business and give you  _everything_." To sweeten the deal, she added one last thing, "Who knows? The boss wants the Chicago Gang gone, so once we usurp their commerce, we may be able to continuously provide you with your items."  
  
The prospect was tempting; both Henderson and Cancer knew that, but this would require what they deemed some unnecessary work and drama. On the other hand, an endless supply of technology, machinery, hardware, supercomputers, etc. for their goal would be quite the boon.   
  
In fact, it was too good to deny. "Deal." Cancer announced, holding out her hand to shake Kujira's.   
  
"Let us carry out our meeting with the Chicago Gang, and we'll come back for further discussion." Henderson added in. The time needed to reach the port would be spent delegating on how Cancer and he should approach the meeting with this new objective in mind.   
  
"Meanwhile, I'll go tell my boss, Soriano, about this new breakthrough." Kujira stated after she finished her handshake with Cancer. She and Henderson turned around and began walking away. "Oh, and one more thing." Kujira piped in, and they looked over their shoulders at her. She smiled again and pointed to the mangled mess of bleeding and wet corpses behind her.  
  
"That never happened, okay?"  
  


* * *

  
Chicago Gang territory was an esoteric district virtually indistinguishable from the Port of Chicago. Beyond the outer layer of buildings, the inside was a microcosm of the city at large. The outer edges comprised of slums, warehouses, and project apartments, but farther in, buildings became richer and cleaner, pathways were safer and more well-lit, and more important locations featured a Gothic architectural style with a great focus on spires and rose windows. Oddly enough, scaffolding was present everywhere in the territory.  
  
"So, whereas the Other Side Gang use the airport for their business, the Chicago Gang uses the port." Henderson remarked. He and Cancer were now in the heart of Chicago Gang territory – a wide clearing surrounded by buildings on all sides. A large fountain and copper equestrian statue surrounded by scaffolding stood in the center, appearing like a glorified platform. If anything, this area resembled an expansive artificial park.   
  
After crossing a small bridge farther ahead, the two finally arrived at their destination, the administrative nucleus of the Chicago Gang. It was a black villa with columns in the front, and its roof was actually a giant pediment. As they approached the entrance, they saw someone waiting for them. He was garbed in the same outfit as the three members Cancer killed. However, instead of the gaudy hoodies, he wore a decent dress jacket. His rolled-up sleeves outlined his rather muscular arms. He had sleek, blond hair and hazel eyes. "Henderson, correct?"  
  
"That's me." Henderson replied, stopping alongside Cancer. "What is your name?"  
  
The man removed himself off the column he was leaning on. "Clarke."   
  
"Where is your leader?" Cancer demanded. She caught the frown that appeared on Clarke's face but paid no heed to it.   
  
"Why don't you tell me why you need to see Don Portis?" Clarke retorted, "Then, I'll determine whether or not it's worth his time."  
  
“This business transaction might ultimately increase the Chicago Gang’s standing in the world.” Henderson hastily spoke up. He honestly thought Cancer was ready to fill this man full of needles or highly pressurized water. "I believe a deal of that caliber requires the attention of the head honcho."  
  
Clarke liked the respectfulness in Henderson's voice, but it was Cancer's demeanor that made him reconsider briefly. He glanced at her, and the high-ranking gangster wanted to chuckle because she couldn't even look him in the eyes. But, alas, Henderson had a point. This was something Portis needed to be aware of. "Follow me. I'll take you to his office."  
  
Clarke pushed open the doors and walked through them, Cancer and Henderson following behind. In all honesty, Cancer and Henderson expected the foyer to contain shag rugs and overhead chandeliers, but instead, they were treated to lamps hanging on walls and redwood floors. It was dimly lit as well; perfect for shady activity. However, none of that went on. Members of the Chicago Gang meandered around, minding their own business.   
  
Cancer caught some of them looking her way but refrained from doing anything. Right now, something else was on her mind.  _“This gang has a Witch on their side too?”_  She thought, detecting the presence of Magic in his very room. Clarke led them up a long flight of stairs that went to the higher levels of the villa. There, they were greeted with a long hallway full of windows, and the end consisted of a Plexiglas wall with a black frame outlining a bidirectional door. It reminded them of a business office.   
  
"Wait here." Clarke ordered as he proceeded forward, knocking on the door. It opened up slightly, and he whispered something to the unseen person on the other side. The talk lasted for a few seconds. Clarke then looked at Cancer and Henderson and motioned them to enter, keeping the door open for them.  
  
Finally, they were inside Don Portis's office. A giant window wall was behind the large desk, two chairs in front, and a coffee table separated those chairs. Things like a dresser and coat rock were spotted near a door with a 'Do Not Enter' sign, more than likely his personal room. The chair behind the desk creaked as Portis turned around. He was a 6'6" African-American wearing a blue and black suit with a black tight shirt underneath it. Several scars laced his velvety skin. He had brownish-black hair and purple eyes.   
  
"Greetings." Portis said as he stamped out his cigar on the ashtray on his desk. "I am Portis, the don of the Chicago Gang. Pleased to meet you." He then gestured behind them, "Also, allow me to introduce to you my personal henchmen, Left and Right." Behind them, on either side of the door, were tall and very skinny twins, sporting dark grey hair, pale skin, and pale pink eyes, wearing the standard Chicago Gang suit along with ascots and top hats.  
  
"Yes, it's very nice to meet you all as well." Henderson replied, arbitrarily taking a seat. Cancer did the same.    
  
"Let's get to the nitty-gritty." Portis leaned forward in his seat, resting his elbows on his desk and interlacing his fingers. "What sort of proposal do you two have?"  
  
"Firstly, we are aware you are the best person to go to for machinery, tech, and steel." Cancer answered, her firm gaze never leaving Portis's. "For personal reasons, we need quite a large quantity of said material."  
  
"How do you plan on paying for our services?" Portis asked. The answer to this particular question usually decided the deal. After all, money was the primary driving force in most gangs. Those who couldn't pay were promptly shown the door, or taken inside an abandoned building by his underlings.    
  
It came much sooner than Cancer anticipated, but nevertheless now was the time. "I am prepared to hand over some… ‘beings’ that will terminate your competition." She was referring to the Anria. Because of the Holland mission, the DWMA knew of their name and existence. However, they were unaware of their origins. She planned to use that to her advantage, to use Portis and his gang as scapegoats so that the DWMA would target them instead of her. This, in turn, would honor her recent partnership with the Other Side Gang.   
  
Although genuinely interested, that was not quite the answer Portis wanted to hear. "What does that have to do with money, ma'am?"  
  
"The Anria I am offering to you will increase your business." Cancer answered. Times like this she was glad to be an indifferent and composed individual. No one could read her as well as a normal person. "They acknowledge orders from higher-ups. So, if you tell them to go eliminate your competition, namely any other gang that inconveniences you, they will do so."  
  
"Consider that as replacement to currency." Henderson added in. Of course, both he and Cancer were going to ensure that no Other Side Gang members were to be murdered by the Anria.  
  
"Why should I accept that?" Portis again questioned. For a human, this man was surprisingly thorough in his business deals. His inquiries were cutting but accurate. Simple yet intelligent. Portis chuckled before either of them responded. "I'm beginning to think you don't have the money for such a hefty request. Instead, you offer some 'beings.' Usually, people ask for exchanges whenever payment is out of the question. But, yours takes the cake. What are you, some sort of supernatural entity? A witch, perhaps?" The gang leader's smile arched into a smirk. "Should I report you to the proper authorities?"   
  
Portis was trying Cancer's patience, but she refused to show it. Heavy conversations such as these were battles in and of themselves. Almost like chess. If she let Portis get the best of her, the whole plan would fall before it even got started. "Even if I am, that should not matter," she finally said, offering her own little smirk, "In fact, would I not be the perfect client? We are individuals who thrive under the surface. We will not last in the sun with our type of activity. You, of all gang leaders, should understand. People like us need to help each other."  
  
"Gang is a such heavy word with a negative connotation," Portis remarked tangentially, leaning back his seat as he closed his eyes and crossed his bulky arms, "The word 'gang' is a construct of social media and the law meant to stigmatize those branded with it. It implies we are a gathering of classless ruffians and hoodlums. I, on the other hand, prefer to call my 'gang' a criminal empire. A criminal organization. I instill discipline even to those of the lowest rank. We do not go around, callously shoot down innocent people, and subsequently rob them just for sport. No, we have a business to run. And, in business, you have competition, most of whom do not see it like I do. A prime example would be the Other Side Gang. Now  _that_  epitomizes the word 'gang.'"  
  
_"I beg to differ."_  Cancer thought with a mental scoff. Kujira seemed rather professional, contrary to what Portis was saying. She was also referring to the three Chicago Gang members she killed. Though, in hindsight, those might have been young rookies.  
  
_"And, yet, your organization has the word 'gang' in it."_  Henderson really wanted to say that to Portis's face. To call out the hypocrisy of his words.  
  
"By the way," Portis spoke, and his tone suggested he had somehow read their minds, "The name 'Chicago Gang' is something fabricated by my rivals and the law. Just to infuriate me since they are well aware of my beliefs. My empire is officially called 'The Chicago Underground Association.' So, I implore you to refer to us as that henceforth."  
  
"Getting back on the topic at hand," Henderson droned. It was time to close this deal so that he and Cancer could go about their plans. "Our shipment of Anria in exchange for the material. That is our proposition. In the likelihood you aren't convinced, think of this, Portis. Your 'empire' can only exist so long as it has power. The Anria can provide that. In fact, it will increase your power on a worldwide scale and thusly you'll see a rise in commercial influence, even if the methods are illegal. It should go without saying that your status will be bolstered as well."  
  
"And think of what this opportunity entails as far as the law is concerned," Cancer added in, "Sending out members of your organization just brings everyone one step closer to cracking your internal infrastructure and destroying all that you have worked so hard to make. Sending out the Anria, nothing more monstrous abominations, to cover your tracks is such an audacious move that no one can properly investigate. You will be able to conserve your manpower for other purposes and leave the hard work to the Anria."  
  
"The Anria are actually more valuable than you're accrediting them, Portis," Henderson said, staring the don straight in his unresponsive eyes, "We are just bringing to the surface their usefulness. Think of the time you and your underlings will have with them as part of your system. Perhaps," Henderson glanced at something on Portis's desk. It was a small portrait of himself, a woman who he presumed to be his wife, and a boy. The black handwriting in the empty corner of the picture showed a date Henderson deciphered to be eight years ago. "Spend more time with your wife and child?"  
  
Portis balked, noticing that Henderson was looking at his precious picture. In a brief break in character, he impulsively turned it around so that the two wouldn't see it anymore. However, that was all that was needed. Cancer smiled wickedly, and a bright red glow briefly glinted in Henderson's normally dark eyeholes.   
  
_"Got him."_  
  
"So, what do you say, Portis," Cancer slowly stood up and flicked off her hood, revealing her face to the man. Now putting the pressure on him, the witch extended her hand to him. "Do we have a deal?"  
  
"Last chance." Henderson stood as well.  
  
Left and Right meanwhile exchanged worried glances to each other and at Portis. If there was anything that Portis cherished more than his organization, it was his wife and his currently lost son. Portis had been searching high and low for his son since he disappeared and, as a result, there was a heavy strain on his relationship with his wife, Morgan. It didn’t help that Morgan was ill at the moment. They heard their boss's chair creak again and witnessed him standing up and grabbing Cancer's hand.   
  
"Deal."  
  


* * *

  
“You mean to tell me it worked?”  
  
After finishing with Portis, Cancer and Henderson returned to the Other Side Gang headquarters. Right now, they were inside Soriano’s personal quarters, situated in a tower that overlooked most of the complex. The room was organized. Everything was either hung up on the walls, put in a draw, or somewhere out of the way. Soriano himself sat behind his desk, smoking a cigarette. He was a dark-skinned man with short, black dreads and gold eyes. His black and red overjacket hung loosely off his body, showing his maroon undershirt that exposed some of his chest. By contrast, his slacks were belted, and his shoes had a shine to them.   
  
“It did. Our little operation is officially underway.” Cancer announced, standing across from him with her hood down. All she and Soriano had to do was play their cards right, and everyone, except the Portis and his gang, would be fine.   
  
Soriano chuckled a little as he put out his cigarette, standing up from his seat. “When Kujira gave me the news, I was wondering what the hell kind of scheme was I agreeing to. When I saw you, a Witch, it all made sense. This is the kind of stuff you girls like doing.” Soriano looked at Cancer dead in her eyes and asked, “Man, I gotta ask. What are ya’ll planning? What are you trying to get from this?”  
  
Cancer looked down to her open palm, reliving flashes of all the events that led to now. He wanted the truth, and she was going to give it to him. “To complete Project  _00000Ω_ : Omega and create a new world with it. A world that does not discriminate, a world not full of lies, a world that does not let your clan get attacked and destroyed, a world that will actually do something about it, a world free of everything that makes this one self-destructive. And most importantly…”  
  
Cancer closed her hand into a tight fist as she stared up to Soriano. The shadows lined her face as her emerald green eyes glowed vehemently. “A world where hope does not exist.”  
  
Soriano shook his head and exhaled sharply. Being a gang leader, he had heard many tales and motives, so nothing really surprised him. “I swear, you’ve got to be the craziest person I’ve ever met.” When he saw the glow in her eyes intensify, he only smiled and continued, “And that shit is crazy enough to work. Take it from me, leader of one of the most powerful gangs in America – To survive in this type of world, you got to be one badass dude. And to the call the shots, you got to be even badder than that. That’s the nature of the beast.”  
  
Cancer and Henderson nodded, appreciating Soriano’s words of wisdom. All that said, they had no more reason to be here. It was time to play the waiting game and tend to Project Omega and the Anria in the meantime. Right when they prepared to leave, the door to Soriano’s office opened up as Kujira stepped in, “Hey, Boss, Iris busted a fuse in sector seven, and it’s in a blackout—”  
  
Kujira and Cancer froze up when they made eye contact. Without their hoods on, they could see each other, examine every part of their faces. Their eyes dilated in shock. Kujira couldn’t make coherent sounds, and Cancer simply stood there. Time, distance, nor affiliation could sever or hide certain bonds. This was no exception.  
  
“Sister?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT (4/1/2015): Okay, so this is probably the most heavily edited chapter no questions asked. At first, it was virtually unchanged, then I looked back over it while thinking about future events, and decided to do some sprucing.
> 
> Firstly, yeah, Kujira is Cancer’s sister, Neptune. I wanted to get that out of the way instead of dragging this plot thread along (it wasn’t meant to be that big of a reveal anyway). I’m proud of myself for making Cancer’s motives known in this chapter. Quite a few wondered what’s the real conflict, so this should give them something. I also gave a bit of lore and background. After all, one of the driving forces of this story is bringing the past, present, and future together. All in all, this particular chapter is setup for a future story arc, and I treated it as such.
> 
> Oh, and it connects to some stuff going to happen in Soul Eater Zeta. Hope you like it.


	20. Extended Legend of the Holy Sword

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsuji and Rowena meet Excalibur. You already know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.

**Extended Legend of the Holy Sword**  
  
 _Month 1, Week 4, Day 4 (Thursday, January 25th)_  
  
The school day was in full swing. Three out of the seven class periods had already gone by. Right, students, staff, and faculty enjoyed their allotted thirty-minute break, doing things like meandering around the school, hanging out in the courtyard or the front, getting a drink or snack from the cafeteria, or doing schoolwork.   
  
Oddly enough, the Ricardsens and the Ardsens were spending their time in the library.   
  
"Great. They haven't put up this week's issues." Marcellus leafed through a section comprised totally of manga published by a diverse array of companies and magazines. Unable to locate the series of interest, he walked away. "Maybe that's why I use my iPad and the Internet for this kind of stuff."  
  
Tsuji carelessly tossed a book onto a table with others to be sorted out. "Man, ain't nothing here!" He walked over to a different one and plopped in one of the chairs.   
  
"You ain't lyin'." Rowena did the same, laying her head on the table. Marcellus calmly walked over and sat down, propping his feet up as he leaned back in the chair. They were hoping to find something to curb their boredom, but there was no success. Well, for them, books consisted of video game guides, manga, comic books, articles online, and – in Nayumi's case – coloring books. So of course their options were limited. "Don't feel like going on a mission either. Ugh! I knew I shoulda brought my 3DS so I could finish my  _Mario_  games."  
  
"Yo, where's Nayumi?" Tsuji looked around and failed to see their youngest friend.   
  
"I'm right here~" The girl's voice carried through the large library, prompting several people to shush her. Rowena and Tsuji looked up to see Nayumi on the second level, leaning over one of the bridges and waving at them. Then, Nayumi jumped over the ledge, using chandeliers and other bookshelves to help ease her fall with impressive dexterity. After performing a few somersaults in the air after a particular jump, she landed softly on her toes in a crouching position before them.  
  
"I swear, Nayumi," Rowena rested her chin in her hand while her arm was propped, "If we didn't know your past, I wouldn't be able to believe you could do that." Nayumi giggled in response as she skipped over and placed a book on the table. "What's that?" Rowena asked, looking at the book's cover. It had one simple word on it; nothing more, nothing else.   
  
Excalibur.   
  
"I think it's a book related to Arthurian legend," Nayumi shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I would think so since it is Excalibur."  
  
Tsuji leaned back in his seat, mimicking Marcellus’s position, as he gave the book a fleeting look. “Silence fell in hall such wonder for to see, for man and horse and all were green as green could be.” His voice was soft, so much that none of his companions really heard him.   
  
"You mean like the 'Knights of the Round Table' Arthurian legend?" Rowena rubbed her head through her hair as if trying to jog her memory. Her knowledge of the subject was rather limited.  
  
"Put it away. Now. And don't go back."  
  
Tsuji, Rowena, Nayumi nearly jumped out of their skins when they heard a droning monotone full of dread. To their immense surprise, it was Kid. The reaper's gilded eyes glanced to the title of the book Nayumi picked out, and then his face contorted. His eyes rolled to back of his head as his mouth became into a disgusted frown. Tsuji, Rowena, Nayumi were honestly creeped out;  _no one's_  face was supposed to look like that.   
  
"Is something wrong, Kid?" Marcellus asked with a raised eyebrow. The odd break in Kid's character was enough to even warrant the attention of the usually indifferent Demon Bow.   
  
Kid's face returned to normal. "Oh, I was just having some… not so fond memories of my meeting with Excalibur."  
  
" _You met it_?!" Tsuji and Rowena exclaimed, slamming their hands on the table and shooting up from their seats. Naturally, everyone in the library glared at them disapprovingly and shushed them. The twins promptly sat back down, slumping in their seats in embarrassment.   
  
"Yes, it exists." Kid exhaled sharply as he pinched bridge of his nose. "And it was the worst experience of my life."  
  
Rowena titled her head, honestly confused. "How? Ain't Excalibur, like, the most badass sword ever made?"  
  
Kid unexpectedly got closer to Rowena, leaving her no personal space as he stared her straight in the eye. Freaked out, she leaned as far away from him as possible, but Kid maintained the lack of distance. "Not. At. All." Only after saying that did he give Rowena her personal space back.  
  
Tsuji smacked his teeth and rolled his eyes. For the short time he has known Kid, his love for symmetry could cloud his judgment and rationality in a heartbeat. "Man, Kid, I don't believe you. In fact, I wanna see myself."  
  
"Yeah, me too." Rowena declared, standing up from her seat.   
  
Kid honestly wanted to convince them to reconsider. He would be saving them a tremendous number of headaches and popped arteries doing so. But, the Ricardsen Twins were stubborn individuals, so it was best for them to learn the hard way. "The book details the location of Excalibur. For reference, it is the Eternal Cave in the British Isles."  
  
"Let's roll, sis." Tsuji grabbed the book and exited the library with pep in his step, his sister matching his stride. They were determined to meet this Excalibur and prove Kid wrong.   
  
Once they were gone, Kid scurried out of the library with a giddy smirk on his face, "I  _must_  tell Blackstar!"  
  
And then there was two. Marcellus, however, didn’t at all mind the peace and quiet. He now could sleep away the remaining minutes of the break.   
  
Nayumi, on the other hand, had the blankest deadpan possible on her face. "I didn’t even get a chance to read the darn book."  
  


* * *

  
It was a bright and sunny day in the northern part of the British Isles. A waterfall fell from a tall cliff, and the pool of water beneath it was so pure and rich it even smelled fresh and clean. Tsuji and Rowena were at the foot of the waterfall and cliff, looking up to the top. There were no stairs or lifts to get them up there.  
  
"Think you can carry me?" Rowena asked. It was a serious question.   
  
"Hell no." Tsuji replied. It was a serious answer.   
  
Tsuji crouched down and then jumped, using his leg strength to reach great heights. His foot landed on one of the cliff's rocks. Then, he continuously bounded off the jagged rocks and ledges at moderate speeds. It was a delicate and precise game of maneuvering and athleticism which he had mastered long ago. Rowena sighed as she squatted down and lunged, digging her fingers and feet into the cliff. She crawled up the rock face, her strength and endurance high enough to eliminate much of the difficulty normal climbers would have.  
  
Tsuji was the first to reach the top, and Rowena met him there seconds after. They were now faced with the cave entrance itself with a stream of water cutting through it. "I would be wearin' pants for this.” Tsuji grumbled as he and sister walked through the water. He purposely allowed his gaits to be long and high to compensate his wet and heavy pants. "Wipe that smirk off your face."  
  
Rowena's smirk widened. Her shorts meant only her bare legs would get wet, and her socks and shoes alone couldn’t weigh her down. Then, she actually stopped smirking when she noticed a little fairy approach them. "Hey, check it out."  
  
"Visitors?" squeaked out the fairy, hovering in front of their faces as her wings fluttered.   
  
Tsuji cupped his chain, eyeing the little creature with a grin. "Hey, you kinda cute though."  
  
Rowena shook her head. "No time for interspecies romance, bro." She then held up the book so that the fairy could see it. "Where's this Excalibur?" Immediately after the question, the fairy's look warped into the same strange grimace they had seen Kid wear earlier. Then, she turned around and pointed forward.   
  
"Uhh…'preciate it?" Rowena replied unsurely, looking at her brother in confusion. He shook his head with a shrug, not sure how to respond either.  
  
At the end of the tunnel was a great chamber with a hole in the domed ceiling, letting in sunlight. The rays of sunshine made the Holy Sword shine gloriously, like a piece of invaluable treasure given to humanity by the gods themselves. Excalibur's blade was stuck in the ground on a stone platform in the middle of this chamber, eternally awaiting any visitors.   
  
"There it is." Tsuji had to admit, this sword was beautiful. For a few moments, he couldn’t take his eyes away. Then, he remembered the reason why they were here in the first place, clapped his hands together, and walked forward. "Welp. Lemme go remove the thing."  
  
"On, hold on!" Rowena reached out and grabbed his shoulder to stop him from taking another step. "Why you get to?!"  
  
"Cuz I'm the better of us two," Tsuji replied, flashing his sister a superior smirk, "Remember the final training match we had? I won that."  
  
"Tsuji, you don't even know how to swing a sword. Let alone use one."  
  
"That's beside the point."  
  
Rowena rubbed her left temple with one hand as the other was placed upon her hip. "Look, we'll both do it. Same time, 'k?"  
  
"I'm down with it."  
  
The twins walked over, their footsteps echoing with each step, and stood on either side of the motionless sword. They gulped nervously, slowly lifting a shaky hand each and clasping the hilt of Excalibur. They were touching greatness – only destined heroes would be able to remove the sword from the stone, according to the book. The tension in the air was so thick, it was almost palpable. Beads of sweat formed and fell down the faces of the twins. Nervous didn't even begin to describe how they were feeling. Tsuji and Rowena locked eyes with each other and nodded, expecting the removal of the Holy Sword to have the same difficulty as finding a needle in a haystack. Three, simultaneous breaths acted as a short countdown. On the third and final one, they screwed their eyes shut and pulled with all their might.  
  
 _POP!_  
  
...  
  
...  
  
...  
  
" _Was that it_?!" Tsuji and Rowena shouted questioningly, holding up the sword in the air. Taking Excalibur out of the stone was disappointingly easy. To make matters worse, Tsuji and Rowena took turns holding the sword, proving the legend to be false more than anything. All that tension and hype built up by the book amounted to nothing.  
  
Rowena looked dully at the Holy Sword. "Maaaan, what a rip!"   
  
"'Destined for heroes,' my ass!" Tsuji growled as he rapidly flipped through the pages of the book, making sure he didn't miss anything that would have tipped him off earlier. Otherwise, this whole trip would have been for naught.   
  
"Greetings, young travelers!"  
  
Out of nowhere, the sword was surrounded by golden light, lifting itself out of Rowena's grasp. Both meisters stepped backwards, gaping with awe as what appeared to be wings of light stretched out from this mass of radiance. It was intense enough to invoke a sense of awe, but it didn't strain the eyes so that one could behold all they wanted. The Holy Sword was living up to its namesake – it was as if the weapon had divine origins; heaven given form.   
  
"Let me be the first to welcome you to my Eternal Cave!" boomed the ethereal voice coming from the glowing sword, "Bask in the glory of the legendary sword! EXCALIBUR!" At this point, the light started to die down, bending into a certain shape. It was beginning to transform into something more comprehensible to mortals like Tsuji and Rowena.   
  
...  
  
...  
  
 _"That's it?"_  Tsuji and Rowena asked themselves flatly, staring expressionlessly at the normal form of Excalibur. They were expecting something regal and kingly. Instead, they got a white creature that looked something like a poor arts and crafts project. But, they weren't entirely disappointed. They had seen much worse throughout the many genres of video games and fiction they had affiliated themselves with.   
  
"So what the heck are you?" Rowena just had to ask out of curiosity, "A rabbit? A dog?"  
  
"I thought he was an echidna." Tsuji folded his right arm over his chest while propping his left elbow up on it and placing a hand on his chin, examining the anthropomorph. His snout was pretty prominent like one.   
  
"Fool!" Out of nowhere, Excalibur pointed his white cane mere inches from Tsuji's face, "I am a legendary weapon only fit for kings! I have no species!"  
  
"Whoa, dude, get that cane outta my face." Tsuji uncrossed and gently pushed Excalibur's cane away.  
  
"And what about queens? Equality exists now, pal." Rowena remarked, shooting Excalibur a taunting smirk.  
  
"Fool!" Excalibur swung his cane in the direction of Rowena's face, and she felt the tip of it graze her nose. "I was referring to them too! Heroism does not discriminate!"   
  
Unlike Tsuji, who had kindly removed the cane from his face, Rowena instead opted for an approach that would end anymore pointing. She reached up, grabbed the cane, and snapped it in half without remorse. The broken part clattered against the stone platform. "There. That takes care of—"  
  
" _FOOL_!" Like a magical wand, the Holy Sword pointed his broken cane at the Ricardsen Twins as a bright flash burst from it. Unlike last time, this light was volatile, burning straight into the eyes of Tsuji and Rowena.   
  
" _MY EYES_!" The immediately fell backwards, screaming in pain, as they covered eyes with their hands and rolled around on the stone. Their eyes throbbed and ached, and Tsuji and Rowena continuously saw spots and stars. Through it all, they prayed they wouldn't need dorky glasses like Ox's after all was said and done.   
  
Excalibur raised his repaired cane, having used the intense light he generated seconds ago to fix it. "My cane is indestructible." He announced, twirling it around in a rapid circle, not caring about the flailing humans before him. "I've broken it many times during my dance routines. Ah, yes! That reminds me! It is time for one now." Excalibur cleared his throat and started hopping around on his feet, "Excalibur~, Excalibur~" The legendary weapon then whirled his cane around as if it were a baton or flag, matching his unique dance steps, "From the United Kingdom, I'm looking for Heaven! I'm going to California~~!"  
  
By now, Rowena and Tsuji had finally recovered, glaring at the eccentric anthropomorph with unsightly bloodshot eyes. They sat on the ground with their legs crossed. "You done yet?"  
  
"Fools!" Excalibur ceased dancing and gestured his cane toward them. Though, much to their glee, it was nowhere near either of their faces. "Don't interrupt me in the midst of my dance!"  
  
"How the hell is something like you considered a legend?" Rowena questioned cuttingly.   
  
"You ain't no Caliburn. That's for sure." Tsuji mumbled under his breath, thinking about one of those video games that talked about Arthurian legend.   
  
"Fools! Did you know my legend began the 12th century?" Excalibur asked them, wanting an honest answer.   
  
"Wait a minute!" Tsuji interjected, standing up, "I ain't no scholar, but I know for sure that King Arthur lived in the 5th or 6th century! Whose leg you tryin' to pull!?"  
  
"If you had read my book thoroughly, you would have seen an explanation for that." Excalibur replied, leaning against his cane.   
  
Rowena did a double take. "Wait.  _Your_  book?" She and her brother scrambled over to the fallen tome and checked both the back of it and the spine for the author. Sure enough, Excalibur's name was printed on the back of the book in the exact same way as the front cover. " _Are you freaking serious_?!" Rowena threw the book down so hard it actually stuck in the stone.  
  
Excalibur waved his cane nonchalantly. "No autographs please."   
  
"Okay, fine." Tsuji casted a challenging look over to the Holy Sword. He wanted to hear everything from his mouth. "Let's have story time. Tell us about your 'legend.'"  
  
"First, I require a drink." Excalibur stated, leaning against the cane as he walked around in a circle with it at the center. "Preferably, a cup of coffee with cream."  
  
" _Drink the water around here_!" Tsuji and Rowena demanded, their eyes going blank with rage.   
  
"I will not begin story time unless I have one." Excalibur said obstinately.   
  
"Oh, I'mma make you begin!" Rowena cracked her knuckles and rushed at the Holy Sword. She then lunged, preparing to clothesline the insufferable little cartoon figure right in its upturned snout. Perhaps that would teach it some manners and make it talk to her and Tsuji a bit more respectfully.   
  
Just then, Excalibur's cane slipped from underneath him. "Oops!" The Holy Sword fell right on his back. Rowena squeaked like a mouse as she flew right over her target. Because of the angle she went at, her face went straight into the stone. The momentum of her leap forced her body to roll uncontrollably and head for the end of the platform. Rowena's scream was heard only for a second as she toppled over the edge and hit the water with a loud splash.   
  
"Oh my, it seems my cane couldn't handle my weight this time around." Excalibur said, scratching the side of his head as he jumped to his feet in order to examine his precious cane. He had absolutely no clue that Rowena tried to attack him.   
  
Tsuji stared at the scene with a blank expression. Either Excalibur was more competent than he thought, or he was the reigning champion of playing things off. Either way, Tsuji had to take a deep breath. When he did, sniggers escaped him. This was too funny. So much, he started howling with unrestrained laughter soon after.  
  
"Fool!" Excalibur pointed his cane toward Tsuji, smacking him straight across the face and silencing him. The poor Bow Meister staggered to the side before falling on his stomach, clutching his sore face. "You still haven't retrieved my drink!"  
  
" _Yo, this water's damn cold_!" Rowena cried out in dismay, climbing her way out of the ravine behind the platform. Her entire body and clothing were dipping wet as she pulled herself back to dry land. She was also shivering as goose bumps formed on her bare skin due to the lower temperature of the water. "I might catch pneumonia.” She walked back to the two gentlemen as she took off her blazer and wrung it, letting the excess water fall out.   
  
At that moment, Excalibur somehow produced a tea cup and held it below Rowena's blazer, catching some of the water coming out of it. Rowena watched slack-jawed as he sipped the water. "Ahh, fresh spring water! Now we may have story time!"  
  
" _I thought you wanted coffee_!" Tsuji roared, pointing accusingly at the anthropomorph. His right cheek was embarrassingly swollen from the hard impact of Excalibur's cane.   
  
"Fool! That is one of my 1000 provisions. Would you like to start now?"  
  
The twins instantly changed their tones. "Surveys says we want story time." They sat down in front of Excalibur like children who were just scolded by their parent. If they could barely tolerate Excalibur now, then these 1000 provisions would probably make them consider suicide in this very cave.   
  
"Yes, it is indeed true that King Arthur lived during the late 5th and early 6th century, and it is also true I did as well! However, most accounts of his acts of heroism with me at his side were not chronicled until the 12th century." Excalibur explained.  
  
Tsuji and Rowena laughed. "Damn, you're old."   
  
"Fools!" Excalibur tapped his cane on the ground to recapture their attention. "Don't interrupt me! Now, did you know I had a brother?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Fools! I said don't interrupt me! Now what was I talking about? My legend? My handsomeness? Oh, no! My dear brother, Clarent! Ah, yes, brothers, we were, and the Sword of Peace he was! We came from the same blacksmith and everything! Every morning, when King Arthur needed us not, we would frolic around the kingdom and paint the town red! In fact, our escapades were the sources of my 1000 provisions! We saw Gawain fight the Green Knight, Lancelot slay a dragon, courted the Lady of the Lake, and called the court jesters ‘fools’ in perfect unison! Jolly good times those were until tragedy struck. Though, Clarent was quite the jealous little man. I mean, I know I was the powerful and legendary weapon of the king himself, and he was just a sword used for knighting and ceremonies, but I couldn't possibly fathom why."  
  
 _"Oh, I wonder."_  They thought sarcastically. Tsuji and Rowena already picked up on the number of inconsistencies in Excalibur's story. Then again, he had proven himself to be an incredibly unreliable narrator anyway. Much of the stuff in his book wasn't completely true now that they had seen and interacted with the real thing.  
  
"And then dear old Clarent up and went renegade, becoming the equivalent to a Hell spawn! Oh, woe is me!" The Holy Sword cried out in an overly-dramatic manner, tossing his head backwards while touching his forehead with his backhand. That lasted for only a few seconds as Excalibur stood there motionless. Tsuji and Rowena titled their heads curiously, wondering why he stopped talking. The black eyes of Excalibur were unblinking and unfocused, and the siblings kept gawking back, expecting him to explain what was wrong or continue. If one were to step in at this moment, you would have thought this was an intense staring contest.   
  
"Did you know my legend began in the 21st century?" Excalibur proclaimed, holding up his stubby arms.  
  
Rowena and Tsuji drove their fists through the stone they sat on. " _This_ is _the 21st century_!" The cave shook from their as their incensed voices carried out in echoes. " _Now get back on track_!"  
  
"Fools!" Excalibur, again, pointed his cane at the two. "In order for me to keep talking about Clarent, you must listen to my 1000 provisions!"  
  
Rowena shot up to her feet again. "Oh, no, your punk ass just did  _not_!" To say she was insulted would be an understatement. "You just said we could either listen to your story or those provisions! Don't you go back now! We don't wanna hear it!"  
  
"Fools! Now pay attention!" Excalibur was going to talk about the traditional covenant he made with potential partners whether they liked it or not. Instead of going in order from top to bottom, he was going to start with the ones he found the most important, "No. 452: You must attend my 5-hour story telling party. No. 667: You must praise Excalibur at all times."  
  
" _No_!  _Absolutely not_!" Tsuji cried out, sharply throwing his arm to the side – a gesture that meant he was wiping the slate of his initial impression of Excalibur clean. As he heard more of the outrageous provisions, it became too much for Tsuji, and he collapsed to his knees and screamed to the high heavens. " _Why are you doing to us_!?  _Whyyyyy_!?"  
  
"No. 573: Always walk 3 steps behind me. No. 058: Never talk to me when I'm humming to myself. No. 602: Food must be prepared with the freshest ingredients."  
  
" _You sonsabitches are driving me crazy_!" Rowena fell onto her knees and pulled out fistfuls of her orange hair out of sheer frustration, sobbing hysterically all the while.   
  
"No. 202: Only the Grandest toilet is acceptable. No. 349: Meisters must eat everything, regardless of personal likes and dislikes. No. 666: You will not run away from death, you will accept it. No. 444: At your funeral, I must be the preacher so that everyone knows how great of a partner I was to you. No. 075: Celebrate Excalibur's birthday in grand-style."  
  
Suddenly, as if someone hit the reset button on their conditions, Rowena and Tsuji asked nicely, "Wait, when's your birthday?" That was a provision they could tolerate since that was an annual thing.   
  
"Every day."  
  
"FFFFFUUUUUUUU—!"  
  
"Fun!? Indeed, good sir and fair maiden!" Excalibur then broke into a song and dance for absolutely no reason other than the simple fact that he could, "Excalibur~, Excalibur~! From the United Kingdom, I'm looking for Heaven! I'm going to California~~! Excalibuuuur~, Excalibuuuur~~~!"  
  
 _Two hours of nonstop narration, searing migraines, aneurysms, and obscure video game references later_  
  
The Ricardsen Twins lied on the stone platform, reduced to nothing but twitching, crying messes with occasional foam leaking out of their mouths. No doubt they were traumatized for life after this. They were just another statistic, two more people unable to tolerate Excalibur without compromising their sanity.   
  
"—And that concludes my 1000 provisions!" Excalibur announced, seemingly oblivious to the meisters' conditions. They craned their heads to glare at him. "Congratulations, young travelers! It is time!" Suddenly, Excalibur was cloaked in the same brilliant light as before, returning into his weapon form. The Holy Sword floated in the air as wings of light sprouted from it to symbolize its divine nature. "For glory! For honor! For harmony!"  
  
Tsuji and Rowena acted the complete opposite from last time. Their dull glares never vanished, and they were extremely disillusioned. They walked over to the Holy Sword, grabbed the handle, flipped it into a reverse grip, and stabbed it back into the same spot as before. The magnificent light disappeared as anticlimactically quickly as flipping a switch. That done, the two Meisters turned and walked off.   
  
"W-wait!" Excalibur pleaded, his weapon form shaking with each syllable, "Come back, young travelers! I'll finish my story! I'll even graciously cut down the provisions to just 999!"  
  
" _Hell nah_! You rot there!" Rowena raised her voice for, what she hoped, the last time today.   
  
"Deuces, G!" Tsuji kept walking out, holding up peace signs over his head with both hands, "Deuces!"  
  
Once they were back in the water, the fairy they met earlier floated over to them. "So how'd it go?" She asked curiously, waiting for the telltale expression.   
  
Instead, she got smacked into the water.  
  
"That's for not warning us earlier." They said uncaringly, ignoring the poor fairy's pleas for help since she couldn’t swim.   
  


* * *

  
The school day was almost over. Students were either leaving their last class or were already in it. Teachers prepared whatever papers they planned to take home, and some just now returned from missions. Many hated that they had one more day of the week before the sought-after weekend, but, alas, that was life.   
  
"I would have went straight home if I had of known the last bell was coming." Rowena groaned, practically limping up the stairs.  
  
"I am so gonna wear out our Wii, 360, and PS3 when we get home." Tsuji mumbled tiredly. He was in desperate need of comfort video games.   
  
"Me too." Rowena dragged her hand down her face. "I got a Scarab Gun to find and an Underworld army to lead with an angel."  
  
They finally reached the top of the stairs. To their surprise, Kid, Ox, and Blackstar were there, watching them expectantly. Massive grins were on their faces. No doubt, Kid told them about their endeavor, which let them know they were victims of Excalibur too. Tsuji and Rowena wordlessly walked over to them and stared the three gentlemen straight in their faces.   
  
Kid got right to the point. "So. Regret it now?"   
  
Tsuji and Rowena glared.  
  
And glared.  
  
And glared some more.   
  
Finally, their faces contorted into the renowned, patented 'Excalibur is annoying' expression. "Yes."  
  
Kid spent a whole ten minutes laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No fairies were harmed in the making of this chapter. …Okay, maybe one was, but she's all right. No lawsuits were filed.
> 
> EDIT (4/2/15): And the popularity of Excalibur strikes again! Despite this being the 20th chapter, it’s one of the most viewed. Well, folks, we’ll see Excalibur again later down the road with two more victims to torture with his tales.


	21. Extracurricular Activities at the DWMA: Just Like a Regular High School?!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a bizarre turn of events, the Academy is allowing things like clubs and sports. In short, the student body explodes at the announcement. Beginning of the Cobra Island Arc.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Setup filler, this chapter is. I'll try to pick it up next chapter now that the next arc is officially underway.
> 
> Author Notes: A small time-skip happens between last chapter and this one.

**Extracurricular Activities at the DWMA: Just Like a Regular High School?!**  
  
 _Month 2, Week 1, Day 2 (Tuesday, February 2nd)_  
  
February 2nd. To many people around the world, it was just another day. To others, it had some importance; for example, in America and Canada, it was Groundhog Day, a holiday about a folklore that was usually overlooked by most people.  
  
To Caius, it was the anniversary of the Vladingham Family Massacre.   
  
He was already awake, seated at his personal study. It was part of the bookshelf that took up half of his large room. The crimson curtains beside his desk were pulled back, revealing the morning sun. It shined down on a thick, blue book. The paper cover had long been burned off, leaving nothing but the rough hardcover beneath it. Dirt and soot dotted the front and back of it.  
  
 _"This is the last I have of them."_  Caius leaned back in his offices-style seat while propping a leg up onto his desk. He flipped open the front cover and leafed through a few of the blank pages that followed. Soon, he found the picture of his immediate family, consisting of himself, his brother Remus, sisters Chloe and Phyllis, mother Rukia, father Amagai, uncle Frederick, and aunt Katrina. It was dated December 30th two years ago—about two months before tragedy struck.  _"A scrapbook, photo album, and relic all in one."_    
  
"Caius! C'mon! It's time to go!"  
  
Caius looked at the door to his bedroom and called back, "I'm coming, Claudia!" He removed his leg off the desk and stood up as he closed the book, giving it one last look. With a sigh, he embraced the book in a tight hug as he closed his eyes. It was the only thing, physically, remaining of the people he loved and of the Vladingham Family.  
  
 _"I love you guys. I'll make sure you can rest easy soon."_  
  


* * *

  
"Yes! Yes! That sounds like a marvelous idea!"  
  
In the Death Room, Spirit and Stein stood before Lord Death. The Death Scythe beamed with pride since his lord agreed to his proposal while the scientist's demeanor was as neutral as ever. "Wouldn't that put extra work on the students?" Stein questioned, trying to be reasonable about the suggestion, "They have school, missions, and their daily lives to worry about. Not to mention, some have part-time jobs."  
  
"That's the whole point, Stein!" Spirit faced his long-time friend and former partner. "These kids are stressed day and night with just the weekends to rest from it all. If we cater to their needs and give them some recreation in their lives, they’ll feel better and stress-free!"  
  
"I'm sure you and a few others will have reservations about this, but I think it's a good idea," Lord Death spoke up, looking to Stein, "Don't worry. I am already thinking of the procedures now. So let's call the staff and faculty in, shall we?"  
  
The announcement of a staff meeting was sent out posthaste so that it could be done before most of the students arrived. Soon enough, most of the staff had congregated in the Death Room, standing in front of Lord Death and awaiting the reason as to why they were summoned.   
  
"Thank you all for coming on such short notice." Lord Death said appreciatively, "Now then, something recently was brought to my attention, and I do see the sense of it. So, I am proud to announce we are going to begin instituting clubs and other sorts of extracurricular activities into the Academy."  
  
"My lord, if I may inquire," Spoke a tall, pale-skinned woman with narrow, celeste eyes, purple eye shadow and lipstick, and long, midnight blue hair. Her hairstyle consisted of perfectly level bangs trimmed just above the upper eyelids, jaw-length side locks, and six loops in the back that mimicked a typical flower as the rest hung downward. She wore a long, floral, slightly loose silk kimono with the gradation of white, light blue, indigo, and midnight blue colors, slightly open at the top to reveal her shoulders and a fair amount of cleavage. She had a white sash around her waist. Lastly, she had on white socks and a pair of decorative, wooden geta slippers. "What spurred this decision?"  
  
"Well, Mizuki," Lord Death glanced at Spirit as he answered, "Spirit here noticed many students complaining of stress and anxiety. So we're trying to liven things up for their sake. After all, the students are the cornerstone of the Academy's future. But, of course, everything is totally optional."  
  
"In that case, I can do track." Mira said. Since she headed the physical education department of the Academy, she had no problem coaching one of the sports she particularly liked.   
  
"I'll focus primarily on swordsmanship." Mifune announced, shifting the box of the katanas over his shoulder that never seemed to leave his side. Angela currently sat on his shoulders, resting her head on his. "Well, perhaps a Pediatric Club too."  
  
"And I've no problem setting up a basketball team." Sid stated.   
  
Lord Death nodded to each statement. "Okay. Good, good. Though, for the sports, that might take a while to establish since we need to review regulations and hire proper assistants."  
  
Stein sighed as he adjusted his glasses, conceding. "Well, I suppose I can do a Medical Club. Though, that might seem redundant since I already have a health class."  
  
"Well, students in your health class could use your Medical Club as a replacement." Lord Death suggested, shrugging his shoulders, "I mean, it's the same thing. And that could go for any other club that involves something similar."  
  
Kathi raised her hand, getting Lord Death’s attention. "So, I could start a Book Club, and it would replace the Literature class that some students have on their schedule?"   
  
"Sure!"  
  
Spirit gave her a dull, sideways glance, expecting her to say that.  "Y'know, you could've mixed it up a little, Kathi.” She may have been retired, but she wasn't the only librarian employed under the DWMA.   
  
Kathi's face puffed up in comedic anger. "Okay, fine! I elect to head tennis as well! There!  _Happy_?!"   
  
Gregory, Mizuki, and Noel all slapped their foreheads with their hand, shaking their heads. Lord Death scratched the side of his head, "Well, if you insist.. Anyone else?"  
  
"I can do volleyball!" A 34-year-old woman announced proudly. She was petite with a peach skin tone. She had round, fuchsia eyes; white, cat-eye glasses; and short, sunglow hair in a bob. Her attire consisted of a green chiffon dress with a bateau neckline and long cutout sleeves, a waist-high white belt, black tights, and white wedge sandals.  
  
"Okay, Lelani," Lord Death affirmed. But before other staff members said anything else, he held up his large white hand to stop them, "Er, to make things quicker, I'll just say it’s your decision whether you want to head a club or not. Just make sure to prepare fliers and ads and have them ready to be displayed. Just know that, if you're planning to do a sport, it may take some time to institute it into our system."  
  
The staff nodded understandingly, some eager to establish the clubs they had in mind. Lord Death clapped his hands together and then announced with finality. "Okay! Now let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work!"  
  


* * *

  
 _Month 2, Week 1, Day 3 (Wednesday, February 3rd)_  
  
The hallway that contained the bulletin board was absolutely bustling with students. During every moment of free time, great clusters of students assembled there to check out the news that swept the entire Academy. The announcements were with positive reception from most of the student body, who raced away to get involved as soon as possible. During the break period, Maka and Soul found themselves in the same hallway, oblivious to the eager mass of people awaiting them upon arrival.   
  
Soul yawned as he stretched his sore back. "Man, it feels good to finally hunt for some souls!"  
  
"Yeah. We're up to 57 now." Maka stated. She suppressed an irritated sigh, remembering it took her more than a year of hard work and slaying to reach the 99 count on her first try. Blair just  _had_  to ruin her chances at making Soul a Death Scythe the first time around by being some 'cat with magical powers' instead of an actual witch. At this point, the scythe technician finally noticed the crowd before the bulletin board once she and her partner got close enough. "Huh? What's this about?"  
  
"Oh man! We got a Music Club now!"  
  
"I'm jumping on board with that Student Council!"  
  
"Aw man! Why is that most of the sports are 'Coming Soon' right now?!"  
  
Soul heard the excited chatter from his fellow students and couldn't help but feel curious himself. "Let's go check it out, Maka." The Demon Scythe and his meister worked their way through the crowd and reached the bulletin board. They were greeted with a grandiose announcement saying that clubs and extracurricular activities were being introduced into the Academy's system. The notice was further divided into two sections, one stating which clubs were underway and the other listing clubs to be established at a later date.    
  
 _ **Available:**  
Track: Mira Nygus   
Swordsmanship: Yojimbo Mifune  
Male Role Models: Spirit Albarn   
Lady Leaders: Marie Mjölnir  
Basketball: Sidney Barett  
Student Council: Azusa Yumi  
Tennis: Kathi Rumeri  
Book Club: Kathi Rumeri  
Volleyball: Lelani Brimwood  
Medical Club: Franken Stein  
Pediatric Club: Yojimbo Mifune_  
  
 _ **Coming Soon:**  
Football  
Baseball  
Expression Club  
Dance  
Music  
Drama_  
  
"What’s all this about?" Soul questioned, examining the entire board. However, he couldn't deny his interest in wanting to join the basketball team. Whenever he and his friends played, he was usually one of the better players.   
  
"I don't know, Soul." Maka cupped her chin as she looked at everything in perplexity, "These procedures make it look like the Academy is becoming similar to a high school." One of her main concerns was the threat of overloading students like herself. She kept reading the announcement, finding more information about clubs and activities. Most of them only met on a weekly basis, were optional, and – above all – missions and duties still took precedence over them. She also read about other things like certain clubs replacing certain classes on a curriculum due to similarities. That seemed to take away some of her worries. "Well, I don't see the harm in it." Maka's attention was honestly on the Book Club.   
  
Soul then noticed something completely off about the situation. "Isn't this the part where our friends come in? I don't—"  
  
" _Yahoo_!" Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. Blackstar popped up right behind Maka, making her jump so badly that she hit her face against the bulletin board. "Finally! Something I can do around his boring school!" He shouted as Maka slid down the surface and onto the floor, face-first. Blackstar was joined by the rest of the group, who were all yelling in unison about which clubs they wanted to join.   
  
Maka was helped up by Soul as she turned around to her friends, rubbing her sore face. "Guys! Give me a warning next or something!"   
  
"Sorry."  
  
"Speaking in a more serious light," Kid said, looking at the announcement with a critical eye. He was trying to make sense of it and sighed when his mind failed to come up with anything, "I do wonder why my dad opted for something like this."  
  
"Who knows?" Liz said, shrugging her shoulders, "But! We should enjoy it while we can! What kind of clubs are you guys doing? I'm definitely joining Lady Leaders and Volleyball! And Drama and Dance when we get 'em!"  
  
"Me too!" Claudia squealed. She couldn't wait for Drama and Dance, finding them to be two things she excelled at.  
  
"Just Football, that's all I care about." Tsuji answered with a yawn. "Too bad it ain't up yet."  
  
"Well, according to the announcement, you still have to fill out paperwork at the Registrar." Harvar informed the Bow Meister, reading the bulletin board carefully once more.  
  
"We all should go ahead and apply instead staying here talking about them." Ox reasoned as he adjusted his glasses, "Time is short after all."   
  
“Ox is right!” Rowena enthusiastically turned away and sprinted off, “Let’s go!”   
  
And, thus, everyone went off in different directions at their own pace.   
  


* * *

  
The first up on the list was Track. A sizeable group of people stood in the grassy area in the middle of the running track. Kilik was among this group, slouching in his posture like always. He was looking around for anybody he recognized but found no one. Meme was also there, looking like she was staring off in to space. In front of them was Mira, dressed in a jacket, shirt, pants, sneakers, and lacking her bandages.   
  
"Hello and welcome to the DWMA's first-ever Track team. I will be your coach. Before I go on, are there any questions?"  
  
Kilik raised his hand high enough so that Mira would see him."Ms. Nygus? What types of events will Track cover?"  
  
"Excellent question," Mira responded, “Each event is categorized into male and female ones. They are sprints: 60m and 100m; middle-distance: 800m, and 1500m; long-distance: 5000m and10,000m; hurdles: 60m hurdles and 100m hurdles; and relays: 4x100m relay and 4x400m."  
  
"Pretty steep stuff." Kilik remarked, crossing his arms. Then again, Mira was never a person to fool around unlike a good number of the faculty here.   
  
Mira nodded shamelessly, giving her prospective of track runners a serious, hard look. “Yep. So on this team, you  _will_  be working hard, I  _will not_  be easy on you, and I  _will_  be pushing you guys to do your best. I don't want 50 or even 100% effort. No, I want 120%! You do that, then, one day, we can compete with other athletes from across the globe. So if you think this is too much for you to handle, you may leave. I will understand."  
  
The student looked at each other, testing one another's resolve, and then looked back at Mira. Nobody moved. They were ready to accept this responsibility. Proud, Mira smiled at them. "Alright then! Now, I'm going to need everyone to read over something." At this point, she gestured to the table behind her that held the papers. "Those papers will tell you the rules and regulations put forth by the DWMA as well as those enforced by involved athletic associations. I want you all to take one packet each home, read it over, fill out the application, and bring it back to me. Got it?"  
  
"Yes, ma'am!"  
  
"Good. Now are there any more questions before I dismiss you?" Mira saw Meme raise her hand. "Yes?"  
  
"What club is this?" Meme asked, tilting her head.  
  
Everyone fell over.  
  


* * *

  
The people interested in the Swordsmanship Club had convened in Mifune's personal dojo. Hanging on the walls was a diverse collection of swords including, but not limited to, Western, Middle Eastern, and Far Eastern. Many students whispered amongst each other, noting that some of the swords resembled one of their weapon forms or a weapon they were partnered with. Mifune stood before his class, tapping his shoulder with one of his trademark katanas. "Good day and welcome to the Swordsmanship Club."  
  
" _Hey, Mifune! What’s up_?!" Blackstar shouted, jumping and down so that he could see him from the back.   
  
Mifune refrained from sighing as he cleared his throat and continued, "Anyway, the class is self-explanatory. I will be teaching and training everyone about the ways of the sword. You will learn about different styles – Iaijutsu, Kendo, and Fencing for example – and maybe how to incorporate them into your own style. However, I will not spare the folderol: this club will be tough. Learning the ways of the sword require much time, pain, and sometimes blood. This will not be for the faint of heart. I expect an honest effort from you all so that I can produce able swordsmen and swordswomen. Understand?"  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
Unlike most of the class, Blackstar was considerably less patient. "So, when do we start? Do we start now?! Come on!  _Let’s do this_!"  
  
Hiro was among the students shaking their heads, thinking this was going to be a total pain with him in this club. Suddenly, Mifune threw his katana at Blackstar, passing a few surprised students, including Hiro, and landing mere centimeters from the Star Clan boy's foot. “Yikes!” Blackstar jumped backwards out of shock, realizing he was close to losing one of his feet.   
  
Unperturbed, Mifune resumed, "If you do not think you can handle this, let me know. I will not ridicule you for showing interest or trying. That said, for those who would like to stay, like any other group, I must pass out forms and disclaimers," The samurai gestured to a table nearby that held stacks of papers, "Read everything over to understand the rules, honor code, and the different things we will cover. Our first day of training begins our next meeting. If no one has any questions or concerns, you are dismissed."  
  
While the other students picked up the necessary paperwork and left, Blackstar immediately approached Mifune. “I got a question! What was that for?!" He demanded, gesturing to the foot he nearly lost.  
  
Mifune already had his response ready. "For being loud. A swordsmen must be quiet and attentive; learn to listen, listen to learn."  
  
Blackstar folded his arms behind his head. He guessed he understood, seeing as that was similar to the Assassin's Rules that Sid instilled in him. "Okay. So what's up? How's what's-her-name doing?" He asked, noticing that Angela was not nearby.   
  
"She's fine."  
  
"Cool." Blackstar then saw that everyone had left, leaving only him and the samurai inside the dojo. "Wanna train now?"  
  
"Don't you have other clubs to go to?" Mifune matter-of-factly, hoping that was the case.   
  
Blackstar stared blankly at the swordsman and then looked up contemplatively to the ceiling. "Do I?" The light bulb eventually went off in his head. He remembered that he wanted to join the basketball team, "Oh yeah! Okay, I'll let you slide for now. See ya later, Mifune!"  
  
Mifune watched as the assassin trotted out of the dojo. He walked over to the sword still stuck in the floor, removed it, and sighed. "This class is going to be a handful because of him."   
  


* * *

  
In the lecture room holding the Male Role Models club, Spirit walked in with a confident stride in his step. He was projecting a demeanor that combined his two most frequently seen sides: a laidback, cool guy and a serious Death Scythe. He had to in order for his job as club head to work. He examined his club members, noticing that many of them were students on the bottom of the social and popularity ladder.  _"Good Lord, I have a bunch of losers. Cool! Maka is going to be so proud of me!"_  Spirit thought excitedly. It was his goal to transform these young losers into virile men. "Greetings, you cool cats. I'm Mr. Death Scythe, and I’ll be teaching you kids how to be studs and catch the ladies~"  
  
Many of the boys shuffled nervously in their seats. It took so much pride to seek out this club and stay in it. "Hey,  _wait a minute_!" Damon shot up from his seat and pointed accusingly at Spirit. "I thought you were teaching us how to be role models, not how to pick up chicks!"  
  
Spirit gulped. It seemed Damon was the only one aware of how misleading the club's name was. If he gave word out that his club was actually a relationship class, Lord Death would probably shut it down and give him a hard Reaper Chop. Spirit had to convince him to stay. "Now hold on, kid! You're missing something here! This is not about getting chicks. It's about building character and carrying yourself in a way that'll cause people to admire you. Think about it. If you do this, you can put smile on the faces of people that are sad and need someone to talk to. Someone who could cheer them up when they're having a bad day and things like that. My boy, they would be moved to the point that you will become their savior! So what do you say? Will you join us to make everyone happy?!"  
  
When Spirit put it like that, Damon couldn't help but think about the club differently. He loved being happy and making others happy too. "Okay! Sounds good to me!" Satisfied, he took his seat again.  
  
Hiro then raised his hand. "So, um, Mr. Death Scythe? What exactly will this class cover? Besides the obvious?"   
  
"Good question, my dear friend. For this class, I will cover the basics of dat—er, carrying yourself in a confident and awe-inspiring manner. I will teach you about certain people, mostly females, and how to handle them. I will show you some moves and teach you what to say so that the next time you see a person, more than likely a girl, you will be confident enough to ask her out on a date or just simply talk." Spirit explained, choosing his words carefully to appeal to every demographic within his club.   
  
"Sounds quite the task, Mr. Death Scythe." Ox remarked, adjusting his glasses. He was hoping to use this club as a means of finally capturing Kim’s heart. He had gotten in her good graces after the Baga Yaga Castle invasion, but thanks to Kid and Kilik running interference, he wasn’t quite there. He needed an extra push.  
  
"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing." Spirit told them confidently. He was speaking from prior experience. "Now then, I gotta pass out some forms and this DVD. It's called  _How to Woo a Woman_  by Keith O'Neil. If you want to stay in here, watch the video and fill out the paperwork, alright? And trust me. That guy is good."  
  
As the club members stood up, Spirit gave them a reassuring winner-class smile and thumbs-up, "Alright, you classy gentlemen! We're dismissed!"  
  


* * *

  
Not too far from the Male Role Models, the Lady Leaders assembled. There was quite a large number of female students here, most of them giggling and talking to each other giddily. Among the last few filing in was Tsubaki.  _"I really hope this club will help me become a better paradigm!"_  She wanted to help out other boys and girls trying to find their way and to become a better person in general.    
  
About a minute later, Marie stepped in and stood at the front of the lecture hall. "Hello, ladies, and welcome to Lady Leaders! I’m the person in charge, Death Scythe Ms. Marie." The majority of them looked excited, some unable to control their blushing and giggling. Honestly, Marie herself felt the same but did a better job composing herself. "Have you ever felt alone? Wanting a guy to notice you? Or trying to find Mr. Right with no success? Well don't you worry! I’m here to help you win the man of your dreams, and you two will live happily ever after~"  
  
Most of the girls swooned, expecting this to be great. Tsubaki, on the other hand, tried her best not to go slack-jawed, staring around the room with eyes the size of dimes. What she thought was a harmless role model club was something entirely different.  
  
She was in a relationship class.  
  
"Now, I want you to take these forms home so you can fill them out and bring them back. I also want you to watch this DVD. It's called  _The Love Doctor_ , and it's by Terri L. Orbuch. She is a relationship expert and offers strategies and tips for couples, families, and friends. So please check her out because she's really good." Marie clapped her hands together and projected a bright smile to the club members. "Alright! See you next time!"  
  
The students went down to retrieve the items. However, Tsubaki had no intentions of staying. She was already embarrassed that she had to sit through this. She didn’t want any of her friends seeing her in here. The Shadow Weapon tiptoed toward the exit, planning to make a quick escape.  
  
"Tsubaki?!"  
  
Too bad Liz, Claudia, and Kim wouldn't let her.   
  


* * *

  
In the gym, the Academy's first-ever basketball gathered in the bleachers. Sid scanned the group, attesting the large number to the presence of basketball court near the park, which in itself was a popular spot. Sid spotted several familiar faces in the crowd – Blackstar and Soul being two that immediately stood out. It wasn't quite time to begin yet, so he kept quiet in case a few more interested students showed up.  
  
Soul saw Caius and Marcellus walking up the steps and grinned at them. "And what the heck are you two doing here?" He gave Caius a high-five as they sat down with him and Blackstar. Soul was pleasantly surprised; neither the impassive Marcellus nor the bookish Caius seemed like people who would toil over something like basketball.   
  
"I used to play back at my hometown." Marcellus replied as he leaned back until his back rested against the vacant seat behind him. "It killed a lot of time that I didn't want. I have hobbies too, you know."  
  
“Same here except it was streetball." Caius said. "Almost every weekend with my old friends."   
  
Marcellus took the lollipop out of his mouth as he glanced at Soul and Blackstar, "Although, I could say the same for you two.”   
  
"I'm trying to surpass the gods! I gotta be good at many things! Not just combat!" Blackstar boasted, pointing a thumb to himself.   
  
 _"Which apparently doesn’t encompass schoolwork."_  Marcellus thought, remembering the abysmal grade Blackstar received on an earlier test.   
  
Everyone then heard a whistle being blown. All eyes fell upon Sid again. "As many of you know, basketball is a trying sport. It advocates teamwork, skill, ability and – above all else – hard work," He ignored the quiet groans from some of the students. It was essential that they understood what they were getting into whether liked it or not, "If you aren't up to the task, I recommend leaving. If you stay, try not to quit along the way."  
  
Sid was using mind games on them, letting them know about how hard things were going to be in order to weed out anyone unable to handle the pressure. To his surprise, nobody moved. In that case, it was time to move on. He started passing out packets that discussed rules and regulations, disclaimers, and a commitment statement. "These talk about the obvious stuff and has the schedule, dress code, and the playbook. The application form must be returned upon our next meeting, the actual tryouts, if you wish to play. I need dedication, team. Give out the same effort you do in fights and on missions! We could become well-known throughout the world if we do! We  _will_  give it our all! Is that clear?!"  
  
" _Yes, sir_!" That was something they were all too eager to say.  
  


* * *

  
A decently sized group of girls were at the tennis courts not too far from the running track. They were all on time for the interest meeting, but their coach was nowhere to be found. In the meantime, they entertained themselves by conversing with one another.   
  
Rowena saw Claudia standing off to the side by herself. She couldn’t believe her eyes right now. Immediately, she approached her. "Now, what's a little shorty like you doing here?"   
  
The Moncharmin girl looked at her strangely. "What are you talking about?”   
  
"You're as tall as the racket. What're you gonna do?" Rowena pressed on, smirking at the shorter girl as she crossed her arms and cocked her hip to the side. Claudia pouted and huffed, turning away from the Sledgehammer Meister.  
  
"Don't be so mean, Rowena!" The two looked to see both Tsubaki and Jacqueline approaching them. The latter had her arms folded behind her head while the former had her hands in front like always. Tsubaki then said, "I think it's great that the four of us are in this."  
  
"Oh, Claudia knows I'm just messin' with her." Rowena said in a well-meaning manner, patting the blond girl hard on the back. Claudia winced on impact, almost falling over.  
  
Around this time, Kathi finally arrived, just when people were considering leaving. Her hair was a bit messy, and she was sweating. She had to take a moment to catch her breath. "H-Hello, ladies!" She straightened up, fixing up her hair so that she looked more presentable. "Sorry for the wait. I just dismissed my Book Club. Anyway, welcome to Tennis!"  
  
The members gathered around Kathi to listen to her. "I'll make this quick. Well, many of you already know what tennis may be like since you're here. It’s mainly a test of quickness, agility, coordination, and reaction time." From her bag, she took out papers, just like the rest of the clubs and sports. "Bring these back to tryouts next time if you still have interest in playing. And that's it! See you next time~"  
  
As Claudia walked over, she mulled over what Kathi said.  _"Quickness and agility. I guess that's the first thing I need to work on."_  She took the paperwork and leafed through it, looking at the schedule in particular. It seemed actual practice was coming soon.  _"Or I could ask my family doctor to prescribe me with speed pills."_  She considered, not realizing that was cheating.   
  


* * *

  
Maka sat upright in her seat in one of the DWMA's smaller auditoriums. All of the rows curved so that everyone seated would be able to see the desk-like podium at the front. Of course, there was a screen behind this podium too. Projection screens were also fitted on the right and left sides of the room.   
  
Maka looked around and noticed the small number of students in here. Probably because the Student Council was ran by Azusa Yumi. She also saw that many of the Academy's known intellectuals were in here. Indeed, she recognized the faces and names of some people, including those in her class like Kid and Hiro. Though, the latter was a complete surprise. Well, not as much as seeing two Correctional Class students. One of them she knew to be Darrel Myanda, who actually scored fourth place on the Super Written Exam two years in a row.   
  
Soon enough, the door opened, and Azusa walked in. She went behind the podium and spoke into the microphone as she titled her glasses. "Greetings, everyone. I am Azusa Yumi, and I will be overseeing the Student Council. This is dedicated to students who would like to be role models to their peers and work in partnership with school management and staff for the benefit of the school and its students. As such, you must be prepared to do volunteer work inside or outside of campus to assert your status as exemplary students. I have packets that put your duties in more detail, and I suggest reading them thoroughly."   
  
Azusa removed a rather sizeable stack of papers from her briefcase. Some of the students gaped at the sheer mass, but others were not really surprised. This was Death Scythe Azusa Yumi, the Queen of Committee Chairman, after all. "One of the biggest requirements is that, in order to stay in the Student Council, you will need a GPA of 3.3 or above. Any lower means you cannot stay."  
  
 _"Damn everything!"_  Vincent suppressed the urge to slam his face onto his desk. Well, it appeared late nights were ahead because he really wanted to be a part of this.   
  
"That is all. We will meet here again next week. For those still interested, please pick up a packet on your way out." Azusa declared, pushing up her glasses again before walking out. Soon, the volunteers for Student Council stood from their seats, picked up the paperwork, and left as well.  
  
Maka stood near the exit as she scanned through the papers. She really wanted to make a name for herself in this school, not just create a Death Scythe. She wanted to be successful and influence those around her to the best of her ability.  _"I'm so gonna enjoy this."_  She thought, smiling brightly.  
  


* * *

  
Volleyball was one of the last few clubs getting together. Because it was being held in the gym as well, Lelani had to wait until the basketball team was done before she could summon all of her potential volleyball players. "Well, finally, we're here, ladies. I appreciate your patience." The Blue Moon homeroom instructor stated, standing in front of the girls seated in the bleachers.   
  
Although Autumn usually found most things pointless, the one thing she despised above all was boredom. So, she did not minding exerting herself just a little bit by playing an extracurricular sport. Though, the experience depended on the caliber of her teammates. She quickly glanced to the side where most of them were – Kim stood out the most thanks to her bright pink hair – and sighed inaudibly.   
  
"Now, volleyball in my opinion is very fun. Like any sport, you gotta work together, so I expect everyone here to give an honest effort in establishing a tight-knit bond with each other as we play and practice. If there's no teamwork on the volleyball court, we won't win. We must work as a unit if we have any chance of making a name for ourselves. Of course, the individual effort is just as important." Lelani explained.  
  
The girls didn’t react all that much. They were probably tired, and Lelani wouldn't be surprised if most of them had a rudimentary grip on how volleyball worked anyway. "So… Yep! Bring back these forms at tryouts! You're dismissed!"  
  
The Thompson Sisters and Nayumi got the forms and walked out of the gym. Patty and Nayumi had a hard time containing their squeals of excitement. "This is gonna be so freaking awesome!" They squeaked in unison, having extra hops to their steps.   
  
"Well, I guess that means we need to work out more, Patty." Liz suggested. Though, since she and her sister practically ruled the streets of Brooklyn before their time in the DWMA, regaining their physical fitness from then shouldn’t be too hard.   
  
"Speak for yourself, sis," Patty said, looking at the older Thompson slyly, "I'm not the one gaining weight~"   
  
Liz almost jumped out of her skin and covered her exposed midriff with her arms, blushing in embarrassment, " _Sh-shut up, Patty_!"  
  


* * *

  
The final bell rang. Many were thankful that the busy day was over. Students retrieved their stuff from their lockers, and faculty locked up their offices and classrooms. By now, the only people around were those who were getting last-second errands ran or didn’t feel like leaving yet for whatever reason. This included a young-looking girl wearing a standard DWMA uniform with the addition of a cap over her silver hair and a long scarf that peculiarly hid the lower parts of her face.   
  
She looked around worriedly, constantly scanning around the hallways of the Academy as she approached the mission board.  _"I can't believe I'm doing this. I could get slaughtered here!"_  She thought frantically. Powerful chills ran down her body as she imagined all known DWMA attendants towering above with her with evil expressions, having whatever weapon, technique, or skill ready to eviscerate her.   
  
She let out a feeble croak.   
  
The girl finally arrived at the mission board. Her eyes shifted left and right to make sure no one was around to see her. She hesitated more than once, her mind bringing forth the possibility that someone could pop up while she did her task, which would lead to a series of nightmarish punishments. Swallowing the lump in her throat, and doing another quick check, she attached a mission onto one of the unoccupied pongs and sprinted down the way she came. Luckily, her worst fears did not come to pass.   
  
 _"Eruka, did you do it?"_  
  
Eruka rounded a corner and leaned against a wall as she removed a crystal ball from her outfit. She adjusted the scarf down, revealing the black dots on either side of her mouth that would have given her away. "Yes, Lady Medusa. I put the mission where it needed to be. Nobody saw me."   
  
 _"Hmhm. Excellent. Hurry back; we have much to prepare for."_  
  
"Yes, ma'am." Eruka replied as the crystal ball stopped glowing, and she put it away. Just when she thought she was free from her clutches, she managed to find a way to cheat certain death yet again. Eruka shivered as she felt something churn inside her, probably one of the snakes she thought died with her.  _“I hate you, Medusa. You’re the devil.”_  
  
With a sigh, Eruka put the scarf back where it was. Honestly, the frog witch thought this was one of Medusa's most cunning schemes yet. She was determined to weaken the DWMA, starting with the child soldiers to be sent that fabricated mission. Though, Eruka really did wish those snakes were out of her body already. She wanted to live a life where she wasn't in constant fear of Medusa.   
  
"Well, let the games begin." Eruka mumbled to herself, glancing down the hall where the mission board lied before walking off.  
  
 _Mission Location: Cobra Island  
Mission Description: There is a powerful creature known as Atlas roaming around on a place called Cobra Island in the Pacific Ocean. Please send the Meisters and Weapons listed on the back to combat this threat.   
Mission Difficulty: A Rank  
Special Notes: Cobra Island has no airport, so the students will have to take it by boat. A ship will be prepared soon to escort them to the island. Travel information has also been provided on the back.   
Status: Reserved_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The scene with Caius at the beginning is expanded on in Soul Eater: Saeculum (Chapter 2).


	22. Kumbaya Circle: Letting the Past Be Known

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maka and company are requested on a mission to Cobra Island. Once aboard the ship, they need to kill time, and they do so by deepening their friendships.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.

**Kumbaya Circle: Letting the Past Be Known**

 

  
_Month 2, Week 2, Day 2 (Tuesday, February 9th)_  
  
Legs aching, Maka stopped and leaned against a nearby wall to regain some of her energy. Soul stopped walking and patiently waited for his meister to recover. This morning had been quite weary due to a rather interesting mission in California. Their targets were tricksters capable of flight and teleportation. So, Maka had expended most of her strength searching and chasing. Now, it was midday with the remainder of school ahead.  
  
"You sure you wanna stay?" Soul asked, putting his hands into his pockets, "I mean, there's a rule that says we don't have to after a mission."  
  
"I'll be fine, Soul." Maka replied confidently, giving her partner with a reassuring smile, "I mean, I'll be sitting down most of the day anyway. That's rest, right?"  
  
"Not really but suit yourself." Soul said. If there was one thing about Maka that Soul had to admire, it was her stubbornness, especially when it came to her grades. There were very few – if anyone – who could match her diligence.   
  
Maka felt some of the tension in her sore muscles disappear. The short reprieve had done its job. "All right. Let's go, Soul." She declared, removing herself off of the wall. The Demon Scythe stayed by her side as they continued their walk.   
  
However, they would not get very far. As Maka and Soul were beginning to go past a descending flight of stairs, Kid emerged from them. "Maka, Soul, there you are." The Grim Reaper spoke, catching their attention as he stopped at the apex of the stairway. "I was looking for you two."  
  
Maka looked at him and blinked in confusion. "Well, we were at a mission. Is something wrong?"  
  
Kid gave the Scythe Meister a serious look. "We're being summoned by my father. Apparently, a mission beckons specific individuals, you and I being two of them."  
  
"How important is it?" Soul immediately asked. He was looking after Maka's wellbeing since she was a little tired, but whenever Kid was like this, that meant either trouble was already afoot or something was about to go down. Lord Death asking for them was just the icing on the cake.   
  
"Very, evidently." Kid answered.   
  
In that case, Maka was prepared to ignore her condition. She could rest on the way and, thankfully, she would have others to pick up her slack should the need arise. "All right, Kid. Let's go."

* * *

  
"Ah, you've brought them, Kid. Nice work."  
  
In the Death Room, Lord Death stood with a board nearby. Kid, Maka, and Soul walked up the short flight of steps beyond the last torii gate, seeing some of their other friends. Liz and Patty sat on the edge of the platform, enjoying snacks. Crona, though uncomfortable, was with them, Ragnarok being voraciously fed by Patty.  
  
"Thank you, Maka and Soul, for coming so soon, even after I already sent you on a mission not too long ago." Lord Death said apologetically.   
  
"It's fine, Lord Death. I'm always happy to help." Maka replied reassuringly, straightening in her posture. She then noticed the Thompson Sisters with Crona off to the side. She remembered that Kid mentioned that their mission required specific people. "Lord Death, if I may ask, who else is supposed to come? Is this everyone?"  
  
"Not quite." Lord Death answered, "I will explain everything once everyone arrives."  
  
'Everyone,' it turned out to be, consisted of the aforementioned, Blackstar and Tsubaki, the Ricardsens and Ardsens, Ox and Harvar, Kim and Jacqueline, Kilik and the Pot Twins, and finally Caius and Claudia. Many of them had to be taken out of a class or activity to make it here.   
  
"Thank you all for your time." Lord Death spoke once everyone gathered around him. One of his large white hands appeared as he grabbed the board and slid it over to him. "Now then, why have I brought you here? It appears you all were selected for this particular mission."  
  
The group approached the board, reading something about a location called Cobra Island.   
  
"Aw snap, bro, only a little over two months in, and we already got V.I.P. status." Rowena remarked, unable to contain the grin stretching across her face.   
  
"Don't get too excited," Kid stated, "While uncommon, missions that ask for specific people aren't a first."  
  
Lord Death's body titled as he continued, "Well, it seems like your standard, run-of-the-mill mission, so let's not dawdle. According to the specs, a ship will be arriving soon at the Port of San Diego, so hurry and take a flight to the city so you can make it. From there, you will have a day-long cruise ahead to Cobra Island."  
  
"Road trip!" Liz and Kim squealed excitedly.   
  
"This is a mission, not a road trip." Harvar gave them a deadpan stare.    
  
"Harvar is right. Approach this like you would any other. M'kay?" Lord Death requested, pushing away the board and clapping his hands together. "That's all! Hurry and get ready! Time is of the essence."  
  
The chosen group of Meisters and Weapons were dismissed. Outside, a limousine picked them up and escorted them to Death City International Airport wherein they boarded a plane and flew away. The trip to Sand Diego International Airport lasted about an hour and a half, enough time for some quick shuteye for those who wanted it. Soon enough, the DWMA students were dropped off at the shipyard at the Port of San Diego.  
  
After the students exited their escort vehicle, they were greeted with the view of the endless dark blue ocean. The sun reflected off the deep water brightly but perfectly, highlighting its majesty. The concrete and steel were moist from the humidity, cars were everywhere, and many ships were docked.   
  
The only problem was that no one knew which was theirs.   
  
Not too far off from where the students were dropped off, two adults stood together, each waving a large sign with the words 'Death Weapon Meister Academy' neatly drawn upon them. Both of them wore white and blue naval uniforms consisting of a cap and a long-sleeved, double-breasted suit. The male wore trouser pants and, peculiarly, an eye patch. The female simply wore an ankle-length skirt.   
  
The man scratched the back of his defined neck, feeling uncomfortable. "How long do we have to stand here? I wanna go back to my old outfit."   
  
"Chichi. Are you kidding me, Free?" The pink-haired young woman deadpanned. "You want to go back to being barefoot and hauling a ball and chain?"  
  
"Well, yes." Free replied matter-of-factly with a shrug, "I was comfortable in that getup. And this eye patch is killing me. I feel like I'm back in Witch Prison, Mizune."   
  
"Well, this plan of Medusa's won't work unless we keep up this charade, so cool it," Mizune responded with a roll of her eyes, "Honestly, it's going to make me gag having to cater to those kids when they board the ship. Chichi."  
  
Free understood that, by ‘me,’ she referred to the five individual Witches that comprised her as a result of the family's trademark Mouse Magic spell, Union. The immortal smirked at her. "You're gonna give us away with that verbal tic of yours, you know."  
  
Mizune futilely smacked his arm with her sign, blushing in embarrassment. "Nobody asked you!"  
  
"Excuse me! Ma'am! Sir!"  
  
The witch and the immortal looked to see the Son of Death and his posse approaching them. Evidently, they had finally saw their signs. "Try to disguise your voice a little." Mizune suggested to Free in a whisper. When they actually came over, she smiled and spoke with a polished voice equitable to that of a businesswoman. "Ah, are you the group from the DWMA?"  
  
"That we are, ma'am. Thank you for your patience." Ox replied politely, using a professional tone of voice as a form of respect to Mizune.  
  
"Well it's about ye sprogs got here! We got a monster that needs slayin', and you're takin' ya precious time!" Free chastised them with an exaggerated pirate accent. Mizune was tempted to slam her head on the concrete repeatedly, and many of the students gave him weird looks. As ridiculous as it was, Free thought it was appropriate because then it disguised his voice so that the reaper, the scythe user, and the assassin couldn’t tell it’s him.   
  
"What's good there, Barbossa?" Tsuji greeted. He was actually one of the few people amused by Free's choice of speech.   
  
Rowena looked beyond them and saw their vessel. "Diggin' the ship there!" She walked past them to examine the stark white cruise ship that awaited them. It wasn't entirely big since it was meant for a small group of students instead of a whole ecosystem of vacationers. If she had to guess, there were about six decks total. There were acres of teak walking space stretching from the stern to the bow with a tall bulwark in-between.     
  
Claudia walked up beside her, using her hand as a makeshift visor. She studied every part of it. "Hmm. It's not bad. My family cruise ship is much larger though, but it's still pretty."   
  
"Okay, enough chitchat. Let's get down to business." Caius spoke up, getting everyone's diverging attention back on track.   
  
"The gentlemen here is absolutely right." Mizune and Free stepped aside, leaving nothing between the students and the bridge that would lead them onto the ship. "All aboard! Cobra Island waits."  
  
"Cruise! Cruise! Cruise! Cruise! Cruise!" Soul, Liz, Kim, Ragnarok, Tsuji, Rowena, and Patty all excitedly chanted as they – with the exception of Ragnarok – sprinted up the bridge.  
  
" _This isn't a cruise_!" Kid shouted angrily, chasing them down.   
  
"Fair warning, I'm easily excitable." Nayumi informed her friends and the two 'captains,' "And this is my first time on a cruise too. So, you might have to throw me overboard."  
  
"This isn't a—" Caius stopped himself and sighed. "Never mind." He wasn't going to risk teenage heart attacks continuously correcting people like Kid was doing.   
  
"Ch'yeah, bro! Chill out and have some fun 'til we arrive! This is gonna be totally gnarly!" Free patted Caius excessively roughly on his back. For some reason, he had shifted to a surfer accent. Probably to keep up with the act.   
  
"…What." Caius said flatly, unable to decipher the foreign jargon. He wasn't alone; Maka, Claudia, Marcellus, and Ox looked like they were having brain lags as well. Promptly, Mizune ushered them toward the bridge. Once they were gone, the mouse witch got in Free's face, her agitated glare boring into it.  
  
"Free, for the love of God, the beach or the sea. Just.  _Pick_. One."

* * *

  
The ship had finally set sail, heading to Cobra Island. A whole day of playing the waiting game was ahead of the DWMA students. Naturally, most of them weren't going to sit around idly on board a cruise ship like this. No, they were going to enjoy themselves. They were going to use the rest of the afternoon of sunlight to their advantage.   
  
" _Cannonball_!"   
  
Blackstar, Tsuji, Soul, and Kilik sprinted to the swimming pool located on the deck of the ship. They wore swim trunks they found in their cabins in the lower decks. They dove in one after other, managing to create a wave that flew into the air and doused the nearby Kid, who was in the process of berating them.   
  
Kilik was the first to emerge from the pool and noticed the Shinigami standing there with a finger raised, wet bangs covering his eyes, and water spilling out of his open mouth. "Sorry, Kid. I mean, we gotta have  _-something¬_ to do!"  
  
"Yeah, Kid, chillax." Liz said in a relaxed tone. She lied on her stomach on a flattened beach chair, wearing a two-piece bikini that she too got from her cabin. Jacqueline and Tsubaki were closeby, doing the same thing.   
  
At this time, Kim walked out of the nearby bar, carrying an assortment of supplies. Most of them contained liquids of sorts, none of which were actual beverages. She noticed the damp Grim Reaper and grinned wolfishly. "You know, Kid, there are some towels in there if you need them. They're in a precise and neat triangular formation."  
  
Kid sent a dry look over to the girl and replied, "Very funny, Kim. Don't you have some magic potions to formulate?"  
  
Kim rolled her eyes. "Yes. I do. So please excuse me."  
  
Watching her walk off, Kid sighed and accepted defeat. "I'll be drying off in my room." He supposed nothing could be done for the time being. He would have liked to discuss a game plan before arrival on Cobra Island. After all, that would apply the concepts they just learned from the Joint Resonance training. However, few seemed up to the task. For example, Maka was in her room sleeping, Soul and Caius were playing one-on-one at the basketball court, Marcellus was watching anime on the iPad he brought along, and Claudia and Nayumi were at the lowest deck watching the fish swim by.   
  
Though, Kid wasn't sure what some of the others were doing.   _"I should ask them."_  Maybe he could hold this desired strategy meeting, just with a few less participants. Everyone else could be filled in later on. A chilly breeze swept by, and the Grim Reaper shivered.  _"Right after I dry off."_  He thought distressfully, fighting back sneezes.

* * *

Hours passed, and evening fell. The sky became a deeper shade of blue, nearing black, as the sun rested below the horizon. Dots of stars appeared one-by-one, giving the laughing crescent moon company. Better late than never, Kid finally got his wish for a strategy meeting now that everyone had winded down. At the spacious bow of the ship, the group sat in a circle around two lanterns.   
  
"So, interpreting the mission specs, what can we infer about our enemy?" Kid asked, beginning the discussion.   
  
"Well, let's start with the etymology," Caius suggested, digging into his own brain, "Atlas is a titan in Greek mythology. The one who's always holding up the world or the heavens."  
  
"Oh,  _him_?" Ragnarok interjected, gaining an understanding of what was going on, "So that means our guy is either big or strong. Maybe both."  
  
"Let's prepare for either scenario," Harvar stated, "Let's say our enemy is a potential giant."  
  
"In that case, how we handled that creature in Holland should work." Maka said. She was going to explain in detail since Kilik's team wasn't present during the encounter. "It was just plain colossal. We had to divide our attention on certain sections of its body so that it couldn't handle our numbers. Of course, this plan assumes Atlas lacks maneuverability or countermeasures for a large group like ours."  
  
"We'll adjust." Kilik reassured confidently. "Now then, let's say Atlas is smaller but has strength. I say just overwhelm it from all sides."  
  
"That's vague. You mind elaborating?" Soul asked.  
  
"I thought it was pretty straightforward." Kilik replied, looking at him dryly.   
  
As his teammate, Kim understood Kilik was prone to simplistic advances and strategies like that. She knew exactly what he meant. "I think Kilik wants us to blindside it whenever it attacks and to make sure its attention is on someone while we do it."   
  
Kid then spoke after that, "And, if faced with a monster that combines both strength and size, we'll splice together everything we discussed."   
  
Everyone nodded, memorizing the approaches. Their plan could have been perfect, or it could be a total bust. They wouldn't know until they were staring Atlas right in its face on Cobra Island. Unfortunately, that would not be happening anytime soon. The night was young, and their scheduled arrival wasn't until tomorrow. A very awkward silence befell the group of students, unable to figure out a way to keep the current subject going.  
  
"So… Now what?" Crona piped in meekly.   
  
A light bulb went off in Nayumi's head. "Kumbaya Circle!" She wasn’t entirely familiar with most of these people, and she was sure others knew one better than the other, so this was the perfect chance for everyone to learn about each other.   
  
"Er, what?" Blackstar looked at her in confusion, having never heard that term in his life.   
  
"Kumbaya Circle!" Nayumi showed her enthusiasm with several rapid nods, her hair loops bobbing. "We get together under a starry night, like now, and take turns telling each other stuff you wouldn’t have known. That includes backgrounds that you've yet to tell people!"  
  
Although she spent the time filing her nails, Liz listened to everything. "Well, at least it's something cuz there's nothing to do, and I'm not tired." The only reservation she had was if everyone was fine with it. Everybody in the world had at least one thing he or she never wanted to talk about.   
  
"I'm down with it. What about the rest of ya'll?" Tsuji asked, eyeing around for anyone who objected.   
  
Before anything else could be said, Maka decided to lay down some ground rules. "First off, let me say this. If for some reason that you aren’t comfortable with sharing something personal, just say 'pass,' and we'll move on to the next person. If we're going to do this, we should be able to express ourselves without feeling uncomfortable. Ok?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Who’s gonna break the ice first?" Rowena asked, trying to goad someone into speaking up. "C'mon, it can be about anything."  
  
Patty raised her hand and waved it in the air. "Oh! Oh! Me! Me! Me!" She was like an eager kindergartner who wanted to answer her teacher's question to get a treat.  
  
"Alright, Patty. Floor's yours." Soul said.  
  
"Ok!" The younger Thompson cleared her throat as everyone listened to her. "I am Patricia Thompson, but I go by Patty. I like coloring, giraffes, flowers, eating, and…" She paused to think of another interest to finish up her train of thought.  
  
“Sugar?” Tsuji piped in, remembering when he first met her.  
  
“No!” Patty held her hand out to silence him. However, Tsuji’s comment jarred her brain. “Kid's OCD moments! Especially about toilet paper!"  
  
Kid tried to suppress the irritation threatening to appear on his face. Soul, Kilik, Liz, and Blackstar all snickered at how blatant his attempts were.  _"Uh, what?"_  Maka, Caius, and Ragnarok thought, wondering what the big deal was about toilet paper. Then again, if Kid and his symmetry obsession were involved, anything was possible.   
  
"Okay, I'm done!" Patty announced, giggling.   
  
"Who wants to go next?" Soul asked, "C'mon, you can start with something simple, then work your way to a big story later." He said that in the event anyone still had their reservations about revealing something as sensitive as their past.   
  
Seeing as she was the one who brought up the idea, Nayumi thought it was only suitable for her to go. "I'll go." She received nods from the Demon Scythe. "Alright. Um, my name is Nayumi Ardsen. I'm a Demon Sledgehammer. I like origami, monkeys, and cartoons. I'm 14-years-old, and I'm Canadian!"  
  
That last tidbit of information was quite surprising, considering that many ethnicities went unknown due to their visible similarities to another, more prominent one. "Oh wow! What part of Canada are you from? And do you speak French?" Claudia asked in interest.  
  
"I  _used_  to live in Quebec.” Nayumi gave Claudia a cheeky smile. “And, oui, je le peux, since that's our co-national language." She actually had more to say about her background in Canada, but for now, she was going to let the others have their turn. She promised herself to speak more later.   
  
Patty, meanwhile, stared at Nayumi suspiciously. Her blue eyes were narrowed, and her lower lip was pushed outward. "If you're a Canadian, why don't you say 'eh' at the end of your sentences?" She asked accusingly, leaning toward her.   
  
"That's a stereotype, eh." Nayumi quipped, leaning away while sticking out her tongue. Patty sat upright again and clapped repeatedly, giggling childishly. "And I'm done for now."   
  
"Alright. Next?" Maka looked around, looking for anyone who seemed ready. 

Half of the circle was in deep thought, others not so much. Rowena, noticing that, learned over to her brother and whispered, “Hey, bro? You wanna talk about why we became Meisters?”

At that moment, darkness, claws, and sharp teeth flashed through Tsuji’s mind.

The archer bit his tongue to keep himself from screaming out at his sister. But she saw the intense glare in his eyes, and she scooted back to her original position. “Okay, fine. Never mind then. Sheesh…”

“Sorry.” He whispered back, sighing afterwards. Now he had to consciously work to get those images back out of his mind.  
  
Kim pursed her lips as her turquoise eyes glanced around the circle. Pertaining to the purpose of this Kumbaya Circle, she had the perfect thing to talk about. After all, everyone here but Caius, Claudia, the Ricardsens, and the Ardsens knew of her secret. At the same time, that made her hesitant. She wasn't sure how they would react. Throwing caution to the wind, Kim steeled her nerves. "Well, I guess I can go. Before I became a Meister at the Academy… I was a Witch in the Witch Society."  
  
A sort of shocked silence fell among the mentioned individuals. Rowena was the first overcome hers. She forced out a laugh in case this was a joke. "Shut up. Don't lie like that."   
  
"I'm serious. In fact," Kim stood up. Then, out of thin air, a transparent 'tail' appeared behind her with an audible poof. If its golden glow was any indication, it was obviously made of magic, proving that she was indeed what she claimed to be, "I'm a Tanuki Witch."  
  
Seeing it, Tsuji immediately crawled backwards to create some distance. "I am  _so_  sorry for all those witch jokes I made! I didn't know!  _Don't go hocus-pocus on me_!" He didn’t want to be on the receiving end of a Witch’s destructive magic. They were generally stronger than humans, and Kim – he felt – had all the reason to attack him. He wasn’t ready to fight a Witch in any capacity.   
  
"Needless to say, you have some explaining to do, Kim." Marcellus said, eyeing at the young witch critically. This opened up a big morality issue. One of their friends was revealed to be of the same species that the DWMA condemned. How would this change their perception of her? He glanced at Caius and Claudia, noticing that they were squirming slightly. This was an uncomfortable situation. Marcellus personally bore no ill will and, honestly, didn't care at all. In fact, a few of Kim's comments in the Amazon made sense now. It also explained how she survived that blast.   
  
"Just calm down." Kim’s tail disappeared, and she sat back down. "I specialize in Regeneration Magic. It's taboo in the Witch Society because it doesn't follow our 'Sway of Magic.' It's meant for good instead of evil, so I was cast out because of it. Plus, I hated the lifestyle of a witch anyway."  
  
Caius’s shoulders slumped as Tsuji turned to his spot. "If the name is any indication, your magic mends instead of destroys." Much of the tension Caius experienced when Kim revealed herself started to go away with that piece of information. It would take some adjustment, given that his own misfortunes were because of a witch. "Well, at least you fight for a worthy cause."  
  
"Now, that's a shame. Why can't all Witches be like you, Kim?" Rowena asked earnestly. She was starting to understand that Kim was a victim of ostracism and wasn’t as dangerous and vile as other Witches, thankfully. Rowena could live with that.   
  
"Kim's unique. That's all," Ox spoke up, "Almost everyone at the DWMA understands she's one of the good guys, even though  _that_  took some time to get into people's skulls."  
  
"Wait," Claudia looked at Maka and the others in disbelief "You guys already knew about this?!"  
  
"That was some time ago," Tsubaki added in, giving her a sheepish smile, "So, quite a few students and staff members at the DWMA know Kim is a witch. There's even a little witch named Angela in the Academy's care too thanks to Mifune."  
  
"Why am I just finding this out?" Claudia asked with a blank look. Two and a half years at the school, and none of this apparently groundbreaking news reached her.  
  
Kim smiled and giggled. "It's okay. It's probably better this way."  
  
"Well, let's go ahead and put that behind us.” Soul took a deep breath, getting himself ready. "I guess I'll give it a shot. My name isn't really Soul Eater. It's actually Soul Evans. I'm part of a family of musicians. My older brother, Wes, is a violinist, and he's got an amazing musical IQ. I guess you can say my family suffocated me under the pressure of wanting me to be as great as him, and I tried to be, but I never could catch up to him."  
  
"That sounds very stressful. Worse than dealing with Kid trying to perfect your hairline for  _three days straight_!" Liz shouted, shooting the Reaper an exasperated glare.   
  
Kid gave her an offhand glance. "You weren't complaining when that strapping young man wanted to talk to you."  
  
Liz turned beet red in the face, almost matching the color of her top. " _Sh-shut up, Kid_!"  
  
"Wait a minute.  _Wait a minute_!" Claudia interjected, capturing everyone's attention, "Your brother is Wes Evans?  _The_  Wes Evans?!" Soul slowly nodded to confirm that, and she let out a deep gasp. "Your brother is amazing! In fact, I've been to his orchestra before." She closed her eyes, recollecting the entire experience from three years ago. "I'll never forget it. It was in France at the Opéra National de Paris. My parents and I were sitting in Box 1, watching his performance. How he played the violin. It was like angels were singing in harmony! I was so lost in it that I felt like dancing to his music!" Claudia sighed deeply, swaying from side to side, lost in her own imagination. "He plays such beautiful music. A musical genius!"   
  
Everyone stared at her awkwardly the entire time. Claudia reopened her eyes and noticed their gazes, clearing her throat to regain her composure. "My apologies."   
  
Soul rubbed the back of his head stiffly, his inferiority complex toward Wes cropping up again. Claudia's praising him certainly did not help. "Yeah. Well. Anyway, when I found out I had Weapon blood, I decided to join the DWMA, to be cooler than him on my own terms. And, yeah, that's it for me."  
  
“Bravo, Soul. I applaud you for following your own path rather than someone else’s.” Ox remarked. His words actually made Soul smile a little. But only a little.   
  
"Well, if no one else wants to go, I'll go!" Blackstar stood up, cupping his chin contemplatively with the other hand on his hip, "Now let's see. What to say," Most of the people in the circle curiously awaited his anecdote. They were just hoping Blackstar wouldn't spend his time gloating. He snapped his fingers, coming up with the perfect story. "Oh yeah! To know where I come from, you gotta know my past! Ok, so I come from a long line of assassins known as the Star Clan. They did crimes for money, attacked people in many areas, and killed even more. Eventually, they started eating souls and, because of that, they were all wiped out by the DWMA before they could become Kishins. Back then, I was still a baby, so I was taken in by the Academy by Sid."  
  
Tsubaki couldn't contain her smile. She remembered back at the Village of Needles when Blackstar explained his background to her in a very dismissive manner. Now, he was more than willing to let everyone know. "That explains why Mr. Barett is hard on you." Ox said as he adjusted his glasses.   
  
"Wait, so your family was killed too, Blackstar?" Caius asked. He could relate to that, but what surprised him was that the Star Clan boy seemingly showed no signs of anguish or depression. In fact, he was acting the complete opposite, like nothing really happened.   
  
"Don't you miss your mommy and your daddy?" Pot of Thunder asked.  
  
Ragnarok crossed his tiny arms under his chin as he laid his head on them. "Yeah, man, your family getting offed like that is a big deal."   
  
Blackstar shook his head. "Oh, I'm not angry about it or anything. My father, mother, and the rest chose the 'Path of the Demon' and paid the price for it in the end. Besides, I got other people to make up the difference." The genuine smile at the end of his words turned into his trademark, confident smirk as he jabbed a thumb to himself, "All I need to do is not follow the path they walked on and instead walk the 'Path of the Warrior!'"  
  
"Well, power to you then, Blackstar!" Tsuji said encouragingly, giving him a grin.  
  
"Maybe, if you worked on your attitude some more, that might be possible." Claudia said, giving Blackstar an offhand look that earned her a dull glare from him. A quick flick on the nose from Caius put Claudia back in her place. Caius had newfound respect for Blackstar. He had a noble goal and a decent attitude despite his past.  
  
"Is that all?" Nayumi asked, seeing as Blackstar didn't say much else.  
  
"Yep! That's all I can think of!" Blackstar announced, sitting back down.   
  
"In that case, I'll go." Liz spoke up. Patty glanced at her older sister, already knowing what she was going to talk about. "This is the story of me and Patty. We were abandoned by our mother and forced to live in the streets of Brooklyn, New York. She left us alone to fend for ourselves in the most unforgiving part of the city." She felt herself shiver but not from the warm outside temperature. It instead served as a reminder to the many days she and Patty slept on the cold streets.  
  
"Together, we were known as 'The Thompsons Sisters' and 'The Brooklyn Demons.'," Patty said as she played idly with her fingers, "We mugged people in alleyways for money and sometimes got into fights with members of the mob." It felt extremely weird to hear the normally bright and bubbly girl speak so solemnly. However, she instantly reverted to her usual tone of voice, "But! We beat their butts of course! Cuz that’s how we roll!"  
  
"Time out." Liz's and Patty's eyes fell on Marcellus. " _You_  two are the Brooklyn Demons?"   
  
His question wasn't completely full of shock like they expected some of the others to have. That meant he was familiar with the title but wasn’t aware of who actually had it. However, Liz had to ask anyway, "Yeah. What about it?"  
  
Marcellus realized he probably gave away more than he liked, so he played it off. "Just something I didn't expect."  
  
"Yeah, seriously! I would have never guessed that looking at you two!" Kilik added in. Marcellus's shoulders slumped, silently thanking Kilik for his intrusion. It aided him in staving off any suspicion his statement might have created.   
  
Patty giggled out of flattery as Liz continued, "But one day, we ran out of money for food. So, as usual, we went out to get some from somebody. We never knew it would lead to a chance encounter with a Grim Reaper."  
  
"Yep! That's how we met Kid!" Patty squealed, embracing the young Shinigami, who tried to keep a straight face under the attention.   
  
"We were in serious trouble when we were ambushed by a band of mobsters," Liz explained, remembering her and Patty being totally outnumbered by them. To this day, she still was amazed at how Kid effortlessly dispatched every single one of them. "We failed to mug him, but that's beside the point. Thanks to Kid, we made it out of there alive."  
  
"And we lived happily ever after! The end!" Patty declared, throwing her hands in the air in grandiose fashion.   
  
As a few of his friends humored Patty by clapping, Kid watched the Thompson Sisters from the corner of his eyes, smiling to himself. It was uncanny how much they changed since then. While it took some time, Kid could guess when the transformation began. On the day their probation was supposed to end, Kid took Patty shopping, buying hers and Liz’s current outfits. When he and Patty came home with them, Liz was very reluctant and shocked, but all it took was one simple whisper from him to change her attitude.  
  
_'I hope this means you know you don't have to steal from me.'_  
  
Kid laughed silently, remembering Liz’s priceless reaction.   
  
"Oo! Oo! We wanna go!" The Pot Twins jumped up and down while waving their raised hands in the air. They then fell to their knees and looked at their meister, lips quivering and eyes shining with unshed tears. "Please, Kilik?"  
  
"If it's okay with everyone else." Kilik answered, surveying the other Meisters and Weapons in the circle.  
  
"Why not? You might as well go yourself, Kilik." Soul responded, speaking on everyone's behalf.  
  
The Utility Meister gave the Demon Pots a nod. Smiling victoriously, the young children stood up and faced everyone. "I'm Fire." The boy said with a bow.   
  
"And I'm Thunder." The girl followed up with a salute.   
  
They stopped speaking as everyone watched them expectantly, not replying. The Pot Twins then pouted. "You were supposed to say 'hi!'"  
  
Everybody looked at each other and then shrugged. As children, they probably had a kindergarten-like mindset when it came to these types of things. "Hi, Fire. Hi, Thunder."  
  
"We are Demon Pots and Kilik's partners!" Fire introduced.  
  
"Besides being Demon Weapons, we're also Earth Shamans." Thunder announced.   
  
"Earth Shamans?" Claudia echoed curiously. "Is that a title or something?"  
  
Thunder shook her head. "No. It just means we can hear the voices of the Earth."  
  
"That's so neat!" Nayumi squealed, her magenta shimmering with awe. "Oo! Oo! Tell us what the Earth's saying now!"  
  
"They can't do that cuz we're on a manmade boat right now." Kilik answered for them. However, even Kilik himself wondered where they got those powers from. Were they born psychic or something like that? The only thing he knew about the Pot Twins was that Death Scythe Dengu Dinga and Alexander found them in an abandoned African village that venerated an all-seeing god. He then noticed Fire and Thunder yawn in unison and picked them up into his lap. "You guys look sleepy. Maybe I should go tuck you guys in."  
  
" _We’re not sleepy_!" The Pot Twins objected.  
  
Then, Fire pointed accusingly at his sister. "And, besides, Thunder keeps wetting the bed! I can't sleep like that!" Kilik's jaw went agape as a few of his friends roared with laughter. Thunder herself paled, appalled at her brother for saying something so private.   
  
“Oh, uh-uh! Why you gotta put my business out like that!?” The young girl protested.  
  
“Because I am sick and tired of feeling wet and end up getting the blame!”  Fire argued.   
  
“Well, I won't tell everyone that you like a certain  _someone_  because I'm just that nice.” Thunder countered with a roll of her eyes.    
  
Fire blushed in embarrassment but gritted his teeth in an attempt to keep his edge. “Why you—”  
  
“Ah!” Thunder interrupted him by holding her tiny hand out to him, having no desire to listen to his rebuttal.   
  
“But—”  
  
“Nah!” Thunder inched her hand close to Fire’s face, leaving little personal space.  
  
Fire’s features scrunched up, not appreciating the condescending gesture. “ _Thun_ —!”  
  
“Boy, talk to the left because you ain't right!” Thunder interjected, waving her hand in Fire’s face left to right. Her rather witty jab triggered even more laughter from the likes of the Ricardsens, Ragnarok, Blackstar, Patty, and Soul, all of whom were very much entertained by the children’s scuffle.  
  
_“Future thugs in the making much?”_  Liz commented in her mind.  
  
“You two are so silly.” Nayumi shook her head, leaned over, picked up Fire from Kilik’s lap, and placed him in her own, separating the Pot Twins. It was a move that Kilik approved of since it meant the two could calm down without being right by each other.   
  
“Anything you want to say, Kilik?” Maka asked, hoping a change in subject would do something to the weird atmosphere the Demon Pots made.  
  
“Not much really,” Kilik answered with a shrug, “I was born in the Dominican Republic, where my mother's from. My dad’s African, but I don’t see much of him. We moved to America early in my life. My real first name is Kirikou, but everyone just calls me Kilik obviously."   
  
“Well, at least it’s something.” Soul remarked. Kilik waved his hand dismissively, conveying that he was done speaking. “Okay, anyone else?” He saw Caius slightly raise his hand and fought back a small smile, knowing that meant Caius really was beyond how he was at Venice.  _“Well, I’ll be.”_  Soul nodded to him. “You’re up, Caius.”   
  
Caius cleared his throat, using that very brief moment to figure out where to begin. "Well, first off, I must announce that I too am a survivor. Two years ago, something called the 'Vladingham Family Massacre' happened where a witch named Cancer Lucrenian systemically destroyed the entire Vladingham Family. For reasons I've yet to find out."  
  
"Your entire family?" Tsuji asked incredulously, "As in aunts, uncles, cousins, and all, bro?"  
  
Caius sighed, "All that including those with no relation.” He propped up his leg and rested one of his arms on it, gaze dropping to the wood of the bow. “It's had quite the effect on me. I rejected almost everyone, and that took a long time to get over. I became focused on getting strong enough to make her pay. So, after I met Claudia and enrolled in the DWMA, I applied for Class Half Moon."  
  
Ox’s brow furrowed at the name. "Class Half Moon? I've heard suspicions about their teacher, Professor Gregory Matilda, being a sort of slave-driver."  
  
"Yeah, he doesn't strike me as welcoming either." Maka added in. The few times she had seen the Half Moon instructor Maka did not feel at ease.   
  
"Um, Professor Matilda  _is_  strict, but his methods work." Caius replied nervously, remembering all that rigorous training that was beaten into him by other Half Moon students and Gregory. However, because of that, Caius had his skills now as a meister and fighter.   
  
Wanting to get back on track, Tsubaki stared at Caius solemnly and asked him, "So, all were confirmed deaths?"  
  
Caius exhaled sharply as he shifted in his position. "Basically. Though, some bodies like my Aunt Katrina and sister Phyllis were never recovered.” He didn’t have much hope they would be either. Alexei and his father Vladimir were missing for several weeks until investigators found them. As scraps of flesh buried under the snow. “Even now, I don't know why. And nobody's soul was found either."  
  
That made Kid extremely wary. Usually whenever someone slew an entire group of people and took every soul, that meant someone or something was pursuing the path of a Kishin. "Then, obviously, it appears this witch, Cancer, is trying to do something beneath all of our noses. We all need to be on the lookout." This was Kid’s first time hearing about this. Though, he was sure his father knew of the details of this massacre and then some.  
  
Maka glanced at Kid and noticed the focused expression on his face. She personally met Cancer in Venice as well as that terrifying monster.  _"Could that thing and the destruction of the Vladinghams somehow be connected?"_    
  
"And that's it for me." Caius announced, not wanting to take up everyone's time.   
  
"In that case, I think I should go." Claudia straightened up in her spot and cleared her throat. "Before the DWMA, I used to be in the Academy of the Arts for ballet. I was a talented dancer and dreamed about becoming a famous ballerina. I had friends that I miss so dearly, but I also had a rival. Her name was Gertrude Richards. Her and her friends were the definition of ‘mean girls.’ They were rude, mean, and always looked down people, no matter who they were."  
  
Claudia noticed both Blackstar and Maka staring dully at her, both of them opening their mouths to speak. "Well, at least  _I_  give people chances! I'm here with you, right?!"  
  
Ignoring the snickers she triggered, Claudia moved on. "And they also bullied this one girl who was very precious to me. Her name was Constance Alexander. She's actually a singer and, my goodness, her voice was beautiful. Gertrude and the other girls picked on her mainly because she was very pretty and caught the eyes of the son of the man who founded the school, Pierre. So, one day after ballet class, I went to visit Constance in the Music Room, but I was horrified to find her in the corner all beaten up with Gertrude and her clique standing over her! I tried to help her out, but they just pushed me away. I fell to the ground and watched them continue hurting her. She was bleeding and crying, and I couldn't take it! So I got up and charged at her, but then something terrible happened."  
  
Claudia whipped out her arm to the side, transforming it to the head of her lance form. "Gertrude was on the floor, bleeding profusely, and the girls were looking at me like I was crazy." She gazed at her reflection in the blade. Many times was it decorated in the blood of Monsters and Evil Humans, and it would stay clean pristine. However, even though it was long gone, Claudia still remembered Gertrude's blood from the accident, forever dirtying it. "I stared at it shocked and scared. I didn't know what was going on. The music teacher came in and saw what was going on. The two other girls put the blame on me about Gertrude’s and Constance's injuries."   
  
A soft pink glow encompassed the head of the lance as the partial transformation went away. "That day, the dean talked to my parents, and I was banned from the school. I remember crying and pleading them to let me stay, but they wouldn't let me." Old, heartbroken feelings resurfaced, and Claudia had to pause to regain her composure. With a deep sigh, she wiped away a tear that threatened to fall. "I had to leave my friends and my dreams behind. And the sad thing is…I don't know if Constance is okay or not. After two months of recovering, I focused on being a Demon Weapon and entered the DWMA."  
  
"Oh, Claudia." Caius and Tsubaki's hearts bled for her. Nobody wanted their dreams shattered like that.   
  
Rowena snarled, offended by how Claudia was treated. "Now that's messed up! How in the world they gonna kick  _you_  out, and you were tryin' to do a good thing?!"  
  
"You know, I could go find them and punch 'em in the face for ya." Blackstar offered, crossing his arms, "I can find the time."  
  
"It's okay. It was two and a half years ago, and there was nothing I could do." Claudia rejected, not unkindly, shaking her head. Instinctively, Caius wrapped a comforting arm around her, and she smiled up to him, feeling better. "Okay! I'm done!"   
  
"Crona wants to go." Ragnarok immediately said. Crona jumped in shock as everyone suddenly gave the swordsman curious looks. Ragnarok patted his meister on the hand, "C'mon, Crona! Don't be such a wuss! Just say something!"  
  
"B-B-But, I," Crona stammered, not ready due to the lack of story preparation.   
  
"It's ok, Crona. You don't have to go." Maka reassured, sending a warning glare to Ragnarok. If she allowed him to pester Crona into going, that would defeat the purpose of the circle.  
  
"N-No, Maka. It's fine." Crona replied, earning a slightly surprised look from Maka, "I can go." The swordsman swallowed thickly as everyone waited patiently. Crona knew what to talk about, it was a matter of where to start – the same problem a few others encountered. It had trouble figuring something out, and the pressure of that started to get to Crona.  
  
"M-my mother's a Witch!" was what Crona impulsively blurted out as a result.  
  
...  
  
...  
  
"What." Was the general response of everyone except those from Maka's team.  
  
Soul closed his eyes and shook his head. "Keep it classy, Crona."   
  
" _What Crona means to say is_ ," Ragnarok spoke up before anything else could be said, "Medusa is Crona's mother. You know, the one that used to be the nurse at the school? The one who revived the Kishin? Yeah, her. And, once upon a time, I was one of the few surviving Demon Swords. She found and melted me down, put me in Black Blood, and gave it all to Crona. That's why we're together now. Cool, huh?"  
  
“W-w-wait, so,” Claude stared at the two conjoined pair, her face starting to pale, “The nurse was really that gaudy trollop who awakened Kishin,” She shivered as her skin produced goosebumps, remembering Medusa’s cold fingers whenever she did check-ups on her, “A-A-And you’re her-”  
  
  
" _My dad let that creepy woman check on me_!" Tsuji and Rowena shouted in horror as they raked their hair. Because their father was 'cheap,' during the two years Tsuji and Rowena were training in Death City, whenever they needed an injury or illness checked up, Noel would bring them to the dispensary.   
  
“They’re doing it again.” Liz remarked, hearing the Ricardsens speak in unison. No one paid attention to her.  
  
“That actually explains a lot.” Caius said, recalling that battle Maka and Crona had in front of the class. Also, the full details about Medusa and Kishin revival didn’t reach everyone in the Academy. This was his and Claudia’s first time learning about the whole story.   
  
Marcellus took his lollipop out of his mouth, pointing it at Crona and Ragnarok. “I’m afraid you two might have to take it slower. That was a lot to take in.”  
  
Caius looked dully at Marcellus. “Doesn’t  _sound_  like it was a lot to take in.”  
  
"You guys are missing the point here." Ox spoke up, figuring he might as well be the mature one. He looked at Crona, the person who he got to know better thanks to the field exam, and continued, "Specifically the rest of Ragnarok's statement. Just what  _exactly_  did Medusa put you two through?"  
  
Crona's body tensed up, a remainder all of the torture and experimentation Medusa subjected to the both of them. "M-many things. B-Because Ragnarok was a Demon Sword, L-Lady Medusa was trying to create a Kishin using me." The trademark death grip Crona usually had one of its arms was significantly tighter than usual.   
  
Rowena was the first to notice that. She assumed this was bringing up bad memories for Crona and decided to take initiative. "Crona. From what you told me, this Medusa chick ain't no lady. Hell, she ain't even a sane being, if you ask me."  
  
"Yeah, so don't even give her the satisfaction of calling her 'Lady Medusa,' okay?" Tsuji added in.    
  
"And, if it'll make you feel better, I'll let my fist kiss her face." Rowena said with a confident smirk, holding up a clenched fist. She then crawled over to Crona and held it out. "Okay?"  
  
"W-What are you doing?" Crona asked, exchanging confused glances between Rowena and her fist.   
  
"She wants a fist bump," Ragnarok clarified, "You just a make a fist yourself and tap it against hers. It's not that hard."  
  
Crona remembered Rowena’s display of strength back in Holland and unconsciously backed away. "But I don't want you to hurt me!"   
  
"It's only gonna hurt if Rowena applies force, Crona." Jacqueline reasoned, offering a smile.   
  
"And I'm not gonna do that." Rowena said as she slightly waved her outstretched fist, showing that it was harmless, "So, c'mon, do what Raggy said."  
  
Crona gulped down the lump in its throat. Then, the swordsman shakily held up a hand, the twitching fingers curling inward to form a loose fist. Finally, Crona lightly bumped it with Rowena's, earning an applause from everyone around them, accompanied by some of the girls letting out little 'd'aww' sounds.  
  
Rowena crawled back to her spot as the applause died down. Once it did, Caius returned to the subject at hand. He couldn’t help it; he was curious. "Going back to what you said, Ragnarok, you called yourself a Demon Sword. What's that, if I may ask?"  
  
"Uh, let's see… uh," Ragnarok scratched and kneaded his own head, trying to jog his own memory. Since most of his life was spent insane, he had a hard time remembering the specifics.  
  
"A Demon Sword is the next stage after a Dark Weapon and the one before a Kishin," Kid explained, seeing that Ragnarok was incapable of answering it, "They come about when Demon Weapons overhunt pure, innocent souls."  
  
Ragnarok pointed at Kid "Yeah! What he said!" It appeared something finally clicked in his own mind. "A lot of us were around centuries back. Then Medusa got her hands on me, the rest is history, and now I'm a good guy!"  
  
_"Sort of."_  Maka thought sourly. Ragnarok's attitude was essentially the same as when he was a villain despite the change in alignment.   
  
"Is there anyone else who needs to go?" Kim asked. It seemed Crona and Ragnarok were through at this point.   
  
"I can." Tsubaki said with a smile, and everyone began to listen to her, "Well, I'm Tsubaki from Japan, 16-years-old going on 17. I’m part of the Nakatsukasa Clan. The famous trait of my family is that one member of each generation, usually the oldest sibling, inherits the special ability to transform into multiple weapons. This time, I'm the one who got it, but,” Her gaze fell to the floor. She could have sworn she saw a vision of her and her brother during happier times appear in the soft glow of the lanterns.  
  
"I'm the youngest of two. My older brother, Masamune, instead got the power of the Enchanted Sword." Even though the part of her life was long over, it still hurt. "I loved Masamune, and I started doing things he wanted to do despite my own desires. But, I had no idea of the effects this would have on Masamune. He strayed off to the Path of the Demon because of this inferiority complex he developed, and I never know about until after I confronted him."  
  
Marcellus couldn’t believe his ears. He removed his lollipop again and asked in disbelief, "You mean to tell me you had a grudge to settle with your own blood?" Like with Liz and Patty, his tone suggested a deeper familiarity with the subject at hand.    
  
Tsubaki shook her head. “I wouldn't say it's a grudge. It was something that had to be done. You can't ignore the things you feel responsible for. That's the whole reason I decided to join the DWMA – to put a stop to my brother or even just talk some sense into him."  
  
Marcellus shifted in his spot as if he were sinking into an actual seat, many thoughts swirling inside his head. One in particular stood out.  _"Responsible for… Even if it involves your own family…"_  He put the lollipop back inside his mouth and went back to being a quiet bystander in the circle like Ox and Harvar.  _"I know they are still looking for me. Every day, I feel as if they are getting closer to finding me. My room to run is fading, I can just tell."_  
  
Tsubaki then smiled over to Blackstar and said, "Of course, if it weren't for that, I wouldn't have met Blackstar. Or any of you for that matter."  
  
Blackstar flashed his partner a toothy grin as he held a thumbs-up. "But you did an awesome job handling your bro!"  
  
Tsubaki giggled. "It was thanks to you, of course."  
  
"Yeah, I remember. We were watching that mission from the Death Room." Soul said, feeling nostalgic. It was quite an intense one too. There were times Soul felt that Masamune really was going to take their good friend Tsubaki away from them.   
  
"And, to think, you managed to master the power of Enchanted Sword." Kid remarked, flashing the Star Clan boy an impressed grin.   
  
"We're lost here." Claudia and Nayumi chorused, speaking for several others in the circle.   
  
"It's better if we show you!" Blackstar proudly stood up and placed two fingers in front of his face/ "C'mon, Tsubaki! Let's show 'em the Enchanted Sword Mode!"  
  
"OK!" Tsubaki's body dematerialized into bright yellow light, slithering into her meister's free hand. The formless mass soon solidified, transforming into the Enchanted Sword. Black, shadowy static crackled along the length of the legendary weapon. The flawless blade reflected the light of the young moon, highlighting its sharp cutting edge.  
  
"Magnificent," Caius remarked, him and Claudia marveling at the weapon, "Its blade may be black as night, but it's beautiful."  
  
Tsuji and Rowena found themselves staring at the sword longer than they expected. They shook their heads to get rid of the stupefied looks off their faces. "Eh, it's alright." They said nonchalantly.   
  
Realizing she was taking up time, Tsubaki reverted back to her human form, seated at her spot in the circle. "Sorry about that. That's the end of my story."  
  
"Anyone who hasn’t gone wanna go?" Soul asked, stretching his back to relieve some soreness. A quick glance up to the sky told him that a considerable amount of time had passed since the beginning of the Kumbaya Circle.   
  
Maka sighed. "I guess I'll go then." All eyes fell on her, but she didn’t need much time to prepare. Maka felt that her story was easy to talk about. "When I was young, I admired my mother, Kami. You see, she was an esteemed Scythe Meister, and my father, the current Death Scythe, was her Weapon. In fact, she was the one who made him a Death Scythe. She was my inspiration. I wanted to join the DWMA and be just like her."   
  
_"She idolizes her mother like I do my father."_  Caius thought, staring at Maka with neutral eyes.   
  
"I'm sorry to say this, Maka, but this whole time I thought Mr. Death Scythe was a single parent," Kim spoke up, "I mean, we never see your mother."  
  
"She's out travelling right now. She keeps in touch with me though." Maka answered. She wasn't surprised by Kim's type of reply. In fact, it was understandable, considering that Kami left Death City a very long time ago. "Anyway, speaking of Papa, he always loved to read to me. He's probably the reason why I'm such a bookworm. But, ever since I was small, I was constantly aware of my dad cheating on my mom. Even now, I still have trouble forgiving him."  
  
When she reached that point, Maka had to choose her words carefully. The last thing she wanted was to insult any of her male friends by saying 'Spirit was reason I disliked men.' After meeting others like Soul, Ox, and Kid, that close-minded mindset no longer existed, reserved only for those who actually were bad men. "Which led to them being divorced, and my mother taking a leave to clear her head."  
  
_"So you love the mom who ain't even here and hate the dad who's around?"_  The Ricardsen thought in unison, noticing how odd that was. Crona sighed silently, thinking the same, but that wasn’t the first time that a similar thought cropped up.   
  
Marcellus sighed. "I feel you, Maka. I hate my dad too."  
  
Maka, including some others, looked at Marcellus. "You do?" She asked, a little shocked.  
  
Marcellus crunched down on his lollipop as he mentally berated himself for speaking so impulsively. He honestly did not want to talk about his past, but by now, he probably dropped one too many hints throughout these conversations.  _"Was I really that engrossed and inspired by their stories?"_  He sighed again. "Yes. But don't worry about me. You keep talking."   
  
"Well, all right." Maka then smiled at Soul as she recalled a particularly fond memory, "Then, a few days after I joined the DWMA, I met Soul. He was playing the piano, and he said the song he was playing described him. It was creepy and dark, but I liked it. It was as interesting like he was. On that day, we agreed to become partners and have been a Weapon and Meister team since then."  
  
Tsuji looked at Soul in interest. "Oh snap! You can play piano, Soul?"   
  
"Yo, I gotta hear you play when we get back!" Rowena requested enthusiastically.  
  
Soul sneered, jerking his head to the side. "Sorry. I don't take requests."   
  
"Aww."  
  
Kid noticed that the majority of the group had gone. Looking up the sky, he saw that night was fully underway. Whether it was like that for some time or was fresh, he wasn’t. "I do not mean to sound rude, but is everyone finished? It’s getting rather late, and we need to rest up for the mission ahead of us." Ox and Harvar shook their heads, conveying they had nothing to say. Tsuji and Rowena waved their turn away. Jacqueline had no intention of speaking either.  
  
"Wait!" Nayumi held up her hand to prevent the circle from being dismissed. "I actually have something to add on to my story." She then looked at Marcellus and told him, "But I'm gonna need your help, Marcellus, since the end of mine goes into yours."  
  
Marcellus feared it would come to this. Indeed, his and Nayumi's past coincided with each other. Honestly, he wanted to reject her because he didn't feel ready to talk about it. But, with the way Nayumi's pleading magenta eyes shimmered in the moonlight, he couldn't resist.  _"Marcellus, you big softie."_  He chastised himself for his own weakness. "Fine."  
  
Nayumi then smiled brightly, screaming 'Success!' in her mind. She then calm down, clearing her throat in preparation for the continuation of her story. "Well, er, this is kinda embarrassing for me to say. But, back in Quebec, my parents and I were a family of famous jewel thieves. We moved all around Canada, stealing from museums, banks, whatever to get what we wanted. They taught me many things about moving around, stealth, infiltration, all that jazz. Now, don't get me wrong, I hated that lifestyle. I never had fun. It sucked completely. My parents cared only about their heists and used me for stuff they couldn't do, expecting me to help whenever they asked."  
  
"So you have deadbeat parents too, Nayumi?" Patty asked concernedly, completely understanding where she came from. She really wanted to hug her for that.   
  
Nayumi sighed heavily. "Parents of the year, everyone."   
  
"A thief, huh?" Kim eyed Nayumi curiously. Her small stature and slender frame would be perfect for slipping through crevices, and it would aid in any jumps or acrobatics she would need to pull off to escape capture. "So, if I asked you to steal something, could you do it?"  
  
Nayumi sent the witch a look that lacked any sort of emotion or humor. Kim was mildly surprised; that was something she didn’t expect her to be able to pull off. "I could, but I'm not gonna.  _Never_  doing that again."  
  
"How did you get away then?" Jacqueline asked, "I mean, you had to have gotten to Death City somehow."  
  
Her comment made Nayumi remember that critical part of her past, her lively demeanor returning. "Oh yeah! Thanks, Jackie. So, cuz karma is karma, my parents got busted near the Canadian-American border. In Canada, there's a little thing called the Youth Criminal Justice Act. By that, I could get criminal offenses even though I was 12 at the time cuz we did a looooot of stuff. So, I actually escaped onto a steamboat. The people on board thought I was a hobo or something, but I made up some corny sob-story so they could put me into this orphanage in Chicago."  
  
Nayumi then looked at Marcellus as a way of telling him it was his turn. Marcellus straightened up in his spot, looking downward as he spoke, "I used to live in Chicago for one reason and one reason only. I was supposed to the next leader for a criminal gang called the Chicago Underground Association. My dad currently runs it."  
  
Kilik jumped to conclusions. "Hold up! You're a gang member, Marcellus?!"   
  
"Uh, no. Technically," Marcellus clarified, "I'm just supposed to be the next don. I guess you could call me a 'gang prince.'"  
  
"You have connections to one of the most powerful gangs in the world?" Liz inquired, staring at Marcellus intently. Word of the Chicago Gang's reputation had reached even Brooklyn. Liz and Patty went through many things in Brooklyn, but she was glad the Chicago Gang was stationed, well, in Chicago if rumors of their power were to be believed. At that same time, it felt comforting that someone, in this case Marcellus, could empathize with her on that kind of lifestyle.   
  
Marcellus stiffened at Liz's comment. This was one of the reasons he didn't want to talk about his past. He didn't want to get stigmatized by all the implications that being a gang prince to the Chicago Gang had. "Yeah, but like Nayumi, I hated my position. I realized after a while that all Portis cared about was getting me ready to take his place when I got old enough." His eyelids lowered halfway. “He cared more about the gang than me.”   
  
He hid a clenched fist, refusing to show any emotion besides his usual stoic nonchalance. One of the worst feelings in the world was being unable to do what you willed, and Marcellus had battled those kinds of personal demons for almost four years before all was said and done. "I really wanted to leave, but I knew I was a dead man walking if I did. Anyone who could help me would get shot in the head or beaten to a pulp, and I didn't want to put others in that position. Couldn't go to the police because there is a creed that says 'Snitches get stitches.' Even the next-in-line leader."  
  
Marcellus dolefully removed the naked lollipop stick out of his mouth, which had been there for some time. "I was…trapped. I would always spend excessive amounts of time after school doing  _something_  if it meant staying away from gang territory – basketball, tutoring, studying, whatever. But I knew freedom for me just wasn't going to happen."  
  
"And then I slipped into Chicago Gang territory and stole some valuable belongings." Nayumi piped in with utmost flippancy. Everyone, in response to her forwardness, just stared at her. "What?! I had to support myself financially somehow! Don't judge me!"   
  
Marcellus rubbed the back of his head, feeling awkward. Then again, having to collaborate with Nayumi at times would make one feel that way. "Uh, yeah. Long story short, I found Nayumi after her little stunt, and she convinced me to escape with her. Then, Noel, Tsuji, and Rowena found us while they were visiting relatives in the city, and the rest is history."  
  
"That's quite the background." Ox commented, adjusting his spectacles. "In fact, the majority of you all had rather interesting stories, ones that illustrated you quite definitively."  
  
"Admittedly, some of you had it worse off than others or got something better out of it," Kid spoke up, building off Ox's statement, "but it's quite relieving to see all of you here regardless of what has happened in the past."  
  
"You know, there's one thing I noticed listenin' to all this stuff," Tsuji remarked, cupping his chin with his eyes closed, one arm folded across his chest, as everyone looked at him curiously. "Most of ya'll got this family thing goin' on. Maka's folks are divorced, Soul don't like his brother—"  
  
" _Never said that_!"  
  
"—Liz and Patty's mom straight-up left them, Caius and Blackstar's people were all killed, Tsubaki had beef with her bro, Nayumi and Marcellus's parents were deadbeat, and Crona's mom is an evil bitch."  
  
"What's next? One of ya'll is related to an evil overlord?" Rowena joked, staring at Kid, Jacqueline, Harvar, and Ox in particular since they didn't talk about their pasts during the circle. They waved it off as a few others laughed lightly in amusement.   
  
The group of friends talked for a little while more, their bonds either renewed or strengthened. Meanwhile, up in the captain's quarters, Free and Mizune watched as they wrapped up their Kumbaya Circle in order to finally get to sleep. Mizune leaned against the control panel, peering out of the tinted window as Free steered the ship, intending to take the shortest path to Cobra Island.   
  
"How nice of them to get together like that before Medusa plays with them. Chichi." Mizune said with a yawn, the toils of the day finally catching up to her and making her tired.  
  
A wide, feral smirk appeared on Free's face, exposing his sharp teeth. "It's a shame, really. Had they've known what's in store for them tomorrow, they could've used that time to exchange their wills and deep, dark secrets."  
  
"Pity." Mizune commented simply. Seeing the students getting up and heading to their cabins for the night, the witch removed herself from her spot and produced a crystal ball from her outfit. She tapped it, making it glow. "Medusa, it's Mizune. We're in the Pacific Ocean now with the kids on board."  
  
_"Perfect timing. Preparations on my end are complete."_  
  
"I'll make sure we get to Cobra Island before dawn," Free spoke loud enough so that the snake witch could hear him, "Wouldn't want them to see us sneaking out and abandoning ship."  
  
_"Very well then. That should give my dear younger sister plenty of time."_  
  
Both Mizune and Free blinked in shock. Only until after the crystal ball's glow died away, signaling that Medusa terminated transmission, did the weight of her words register in their minds.   
  
"Younger… sister?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew. Finally managed to get this meaty chapter out of the way. This is one I REALLY wanted to be done with. It was a necessary chapter, but it kept me from moving on with the story.
> 
> EDIT (4/3/15): Soul Eater: Saeculum (Chapter 1) should provide some context on what Nayumi and Marcellus talked about in the circle.


	23. First Phase: Medusa's Plot Begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.
> 
> Please note that, whenever I say Kim is riding a broom, I'm talking about her Change Pixie. That thing is hard to describe concisely.

**First Phase: Medusa's Plot Begins**  
  
 _Month 2, Week 2, Day 3 (Wednesday, February 10th)_  
  
"Remind me again why are we in a janitor's closet?"  
  
Early in the morning, Vincent, Autumn, and Damon hid themselves in one of the many janitor closets around the school. A spare pipe was used to wedge the door shut, ensuring no interruptions. At the very least, they would be notified of someone trying to open the door. The light was fairly dim. The shadows stretching across the walls and floor didn't help either. Luckily, the closet provided ample room, and it was the perfect place for the triplets' secret conference.   
  
"We would’ve done it at our apartment, but you and I overslept while Damon here was busy chitchatting with Ms. Louisengale over the phone." As Vincent talked, he shot a tart look over to his brother. It wasn't a harsh one, considering he had just admitted his own fault, but it still had to be done. After all, Damon could have awakened them.  
  
"Y-You and I both know it's been about a month since we last talked to her!" Damon said defensively, "It was an opportunity I couldn't refuse! I like Ms. Louisengale! She sent me  _Omega Ruby_  a few weeks back just out of the goodness of her heart!"  
  
"As long as nobody can be a fly on the wall in this conversation, I guess I'm fine with it." Autumn said dismissively. Conveniently, a fly slowly buzzed past her. Vincent and Damon watched it without a word, the only sound in the closet being the noise made by the small insect. The fly roosted near the fuse box, Autumn keeping her eyes on it. Without warning, Autumn slammed her fist onto the bug. "Sorry. Superstition." She wipe her hand on her skirt and put it back in her front hoodie pocket.   
  
"Uh, right." Vincent then felt irritation in his eyes and proceeded to rub them, but the itch persisted. "Oh, God. Guys, I'm taking off these color contacts for right now."  
  
"I was waiting for one of you to say something." Damon remarked. Up until now, he was expertly hiding the fact that his color contacts were bothering him too.   
  
The triplets pinched their forefinger and thumb across their eyes, slipping out their contacts with that one movement. When they reopened them, they were not their usual wisteria, green, or navy color. All of their eyes were crimson.  
  
"If there's one thing I like about the Academy, it caters to the needs of their students." Autumn remarked, marginally impressed, as she put the color contacts in her case.   
  
Vincent pocketed his case of contacts. "Alright, now that that's over with. You two know what this is about. So what's the scoop?"  
  
"I think you two will be thoroughly pleased to hear this. No, I  _know_  you will!" Damon announced, almost hopping in his spot, "I figured out where they've imprisoned her."  
  
"Ugh, after five years, someone finally talks about that." Autumn bemoaned, resting her back against the wall as she put her hands in the front pockets of her hoodie. She eyed her other brother, wordlessly beckoning him to continue.   
  
Damon nodded. "I can only assume it's one of the DWMA's major prisons. It's named the DWMA Supermax Penitentiary, stationed in the Middle East."  
  
"Where in the Middle East?" Vincent asked, crossing his arms.   
  
Much to their disappointment, Damon shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. That's all I got. At least it narrows it down."     
  
Autumn rolled her visible eye. "Not by much." Consisting of eighteen countries, the Middle East was known to be a center of world affairs, meaning there was quite a bit of activity going on in that part of the world. To make matters worse, the DWMA indeed had a West Asia division over there. Sure they knew what to look for, but now they had to find exactly where the DWMA Supermax Penitentiary was. "I still can't get over how the others just arbitrarily threw us this responsibility with no leads or anything. It's no wonder we've been struggling these past five years."  
  
"Difficult, yes," Vincent looked down contemplatively, "But, we're getting closer and closer. The sooner we're able to destroy that wretch they have imprisoned over there, the better off we'll be." He looked at his brother and sister and asked them, "You guys know if they have an execution planned?"  
  
"Nope."   
  
"Can't say I do."  
  
Vincent wanted to give the Academy the benefit of the doubt. Their target was dangerous, and if they were planning capital punishment, they could not afford any slipups in the process. Of course, he would feel a hundred times better if he and his siblings were there to bear witness or handle it themselves.   
  
"Well, regardless, at least we know the name of the facility and the region it's in, so that's some progress." Vincent said with a shrug, taking out his cell phone to check the time. It was getting close to the first bell, and he wanted to avoid suspicion. "Let's call it day for now."  
  
"Just making sure to keep looking for things." Autumn ordered, gazing pointedly at her brothers, "I'm sick of all this pointless waiting."  
  
"Autumn, just learn to enjoy what the Academy offers." Damon said, shaking his head.  
  
"Don’t start.” Vincent warned, his tone dropping as he removed pipe from the door. The last thing he wanted to hear was another one of Autumn and Damon's arguments. The former was a pessimist and realist while the latter was an optimist and idealist. Vincent considered himself somewhere in-between, but that didn't help really.  _"Our dear half-sister over there doesn't need to know the three of us are dysfunctional."_  
  
The three put their color contacts back on. When Vincent opened the door, he nearly jumped out of his skin when he found someone standing there. The first, and last, thing he noticed was the blue and pink color in one of the irises.  
  
"Kill…"  
  


* * *

  
"8 hours of rest and awakening at precisely 8 in the morning. Absolutely perfect."  
  
Death the Kid felt refreshed this morning as he sat up and stretched his arms above his head. With extra pep, he flung the sheets off of him and got out of the bed. It helped that the cabin itself was rather cozy, providing silk and soft mattresses. Kid then spent exactly eight minutes getting dressed before stepping out of the bathroom, breathing in the fresh scent of cologne he had applied to himself.   
  
"I have a feeling today is going to be quite pleasant." Kid said contently as he sauntered to the window. He felt like a million bucks. Perhaps this was a sign that the mission on Cobra Island would go smoothly. "Alright, sun and sky, show me your beautiful symmetry!"  
  
The good feelings went away the moment of he parted the curtains.   
  
The rusty sky was full of dark clouds, resembling the same blood red clouds that appeared when Asura was revived. The sun was gone, robbing the area of its comforting light. The seas were black and red, polluted and uninviting. Waves or anything like that. It was still and silent, eerily calm.   
  
"So we've arrived." Kid said seriously.   
  
At that moment, the young reaper began rounding up the troops. The ship had indeed docked at the harbor of Cobra Island. Beyond the sand was a dense forest just as quiet as the ocean surrounding them on all sides. What stood out the most on Cobra Island was the absolutely monolithic structure standing in the center of the island. The stone had weathered perfectly into the shape of a cobra sitting on its tail in a serpentine curl. The stone cobra's mouth was wide open, revealing a deep, dark, and shadowy abyss where its mouth should be and two stalactites acting as fangs. The stare of the stone cobra's vacant eyeholes were oriented to the harbor, greeting all visitors.   
  
Ox had a hard time keeping his eyes on the monolith. "Not the most pleasant of tourist attractions." Understatement of the century.   
  
"So, this is Cobra Island." Kid said, crossing his arms and examining carefully what he could see. "I see where it gets its namesake."  
  
"G-Guys!" Everyone at the bow of the ship turned to see Crona, Kim, and Jackie running up.   
  
"Did you see our captains?" Soul asked.  
  
Kim shook her head. "Nope. They're gone for some reason." That alone planted a seed of dread in their hearts. The only people capable of bringing them back home were gone. Unless they were found, they were trapped here with an enemy that warranted their undivided attention.   
  
Ragnarok emerged from the base of Crona's spine and took his usual resting spot up top, "Maybe that Atlas freak got a hold of 'em while we were asleep."   
  
Harvar doubted that. "Then explain how we're even here."   
  
"It coulda got them soon after they docked us." Kilik answered with a shrug. He turned to the sinister island, narrowing his eyes at it. "What matters is we're here now. No turning back now. We gotta head in, find Atlas, beat it, and then get our tickets home back."  
  
"Kilik has a point," Maka agreed, "Okay, gang, we're going to do our best to set up a parameter around Cobra Island. When Atlas is discovered, we surround it from all sides and stick to our strategy."  
  
"Oh hold on now!" Marcellus said suddenly. Everyone looked at him in confusion. He shook his head furiously. "Uh-uh. We are  _not_  splitting up. If that snake structure is any indication, we don't need to be getting lost. We can find Atlas together. We have the resources to do so, and besides, the island isn't even that big."  
  
"Y-yeah! I agree with Marcellus!" Liz spoke up, her voice quavering as she registered the implications of his argument. If this Atlas thing was able to steal their captains from under their noses while they were asleep, there was no telling what it could do when it wanted to pick off a group one-by-one.  
  
Patty grinned teasingly at the two. "Aww, are you two scaaaaared?"   
  
" _Yes_!" Liz shouted truthfully.   
  
"I'm just trying to be cautious." Marcellus held up his hands in defense. Though, he couldn't deny that he was a little scared. "Call it being paranoid, I call it being safe."  
  
In order to appease the people with reservations, Maka relented. "Fine. We'll stick together." She faced the island, and her green eyes glared back at the monolithic cobra. She had steeled herself, and she was ready to fight what awaited them. "Let's go."  
  
The team proceeded to get off the ship and venture into the depths of Cobra Island, heading straight into the woods. Other than themselves, there weren’t any sounds. – no woodland creatures, birds, anything. In fact, other than the plants, there seemed to be no signs of life either. Had Atlas completely depopulated Cobra Island?   
  
"This place is giving me the creeps." Soul commented as his ruby eyes glanced around constantly. He, among others, were leery of the lack of activity. In the sky, Kid and Kim were on their respective skateboard and broom, surveying the area for their target.   
  
"You know, this reminds me of something," Patty said as Liz cowered behind her, "It's like that horror movie when a girl went missing and all of her friends go out to find her." Except, in this situation, it was a group of teenagers looking for a monster that needed to be slain. "But something was lurking in the shadows. Stalking them and taking them out one by one until there's one person left. Then," A mischievous grin appeared on her face as she whipped around to her older sister, " **HE GETS HER**!"  
  
" _Patty, stop_!" Liz shrieked in high-pitch voice, jumping nearly five feet backwards. The Pot Twins cried out in shock, clinging to Kilik's legs as he walked. Ragnarok and Nayumi burst out laughing as everyone else ignored them, trying to spot any clues.   
  
"Hey, Kid! Kim!" Maka called out to the sky. "You two found anything yet?"  
  
"That's a negative!" Kim shouted back, her eyes never leaving her surroundings. It seemed Atlas wasn't a giant like they speculated, or else, they would have seen it by now.   
  
"I sincerely hope this thing hasn't escaped the island." Claudia remarked, crossing her arms over her chest.   
  
"What's it gonna do? Swim across miles of ocean to a different civilization?" Kilik asked, pointing out the improbability of such.   
  
"Well, it's pretty abandoned right now." Marcellus said. Claudia's words might not be as farfetched as they sounded. At this point, it appeared they were the only lifeforms on Cobra Island. He had been using Wavelength Sonar for the past few minutes and sensed nothing.   
  
"I don't see anything either." Maka announced after deactivating her Soul Perception. Between herself, Kid, and Marcellus, if nobody could detect a soul, there was something amiss.   
  
Rowena looked at her partner. "Hey, Nayumi. Use your Wavelength Radiation. Let's see if this island really is abandoned."  
  
"Gotcha." Nayumi closed her eyes, placed two fingers on each side of her head, and activated her own detection ability. She tried to pick out any outstanding heat signatures in the area. "Nothing on the ground level." She then looked up to the sky where Kid and Kim were.  
  
Her face lost color.  
  
Through her eyes, there was a massive presence towering above them – one that almost rivaled the size of the snake monolith. Judging by its body outline, it was staring right at them. She tried to say something, but a hoarse croak came out instead.   
  
Rowena stopped mid-step and looked at her. "N-Nayumi?" That did not sound normal.  
  
Nayumi saw the presence lift one of its gigantic arms, threatening to swat Kid and Kim out of the sky like a bunch of flies. " _Look out_!"  
  
Kid and Kim snapped their heads to the side upon hearing Nayumi's distressed scream. They saw an outer layer tracing every crevice and contour of a being, including the giant arm heading their way. The lantern at the end of Kim's broom released a violent torrent of flames, giving Kim the extra speed to get out of harm's way as Kid performed a 360-degree spin over it. However, the arm continued its path, heading toward the Meisters and Weapons on the ground.   
  
" _Head's up_!  _Get out of the way_!" Soul shouted. Everyone instantly reacted. Some dove or sprinted out of the way while others scooped up or tackled a nearby person in order to ensure both of their survival. The hand missed all of the Meisters and Weapons, but the ground rumbled thunderously as parts of the landscape were uprooted. The earth itself cried out in pain as trees and chunks of rock were thrown astray. Dust whirled in the air above the large clearing as the hand finished its motion.   
  
Once was that done, whatever made the monster invisible was deactivated. A titanic, bio-mechanical golem stood above the group of students. Its dark blue and black body heavily contrasted the crimson skies and green forests around it. Blank white eyes glared at its new prey, boring into their very souls.   
  
Caius intently examined Atlas. That had to be some monster in order to get so close without a sound. "How did  _that_  get by us?!"   
  
"It's like that thing had a built-in cloaking device or something!" Tsuji remarked as he helped Marcellus to his feet.   
  
" _And_  it looks FUBAR!" Ragnarok barked out, shaking his tiny white hand at Atlas, "Hey, ugly! Ever heard of a face towel!? Use it!"  
  
Atlas responded by lifting up both of its arms this time.  
  
" _You made it mad_!" Liz screamed in a high-pitched voice.   
  
" _Liz_!  _Patty_!  _Hurry_!" Kid quickly flew over to his partners on his skateboard, "If a graze did that much destruction, we can't afford it to actually hit the ground!" The Thompson Sisters immediately transformed into two pistols as Kid swooped by and scooped them up, promptly firing round after round at Atlas. It seemed Atlas barely felt them as it interlaced its fingers, preparing to deliver a hammer blow to the ground.   
  
"Weapons, transform! On the double!" Soul demanded as he, along with every other Demon Weapon, morphed.   
  
Blackstar brandished the Enchanted Sword as black tattoos appeared on his face, smirking as he eyeballed the humongous monster. "You know what they say, guys, 'The bigger they are, the harder they fall!'  _Yahoooo_!" With a sudden burst of speed, Blackstar scaled both fallen and upright trees, trying to gain enough altitude to reach Atlas.   
  
"Stick to the plan!" Ox yelled out as the spear he was carrying laced itself with electricity. "Overwhelm it from all sides!" With a thrust, the spear launched a concentrated, tapering spiral composed entirely of lightning at Atlas's arms. The impact was outlined by a boom of thunder as cracks appeared on the surface of the titan's arms.   
  
"Deus Iratus!" Caius and Claudia had conducted a Soul Resonance, transformed the Demon Lance into a giant missile, and subsequently fired it.   
  
As the missile whirred through the air, Blackstar noticed it coming from the corner of his eyes and smirked. Leaping off another tree, he delayed himself a little so that he could land on Deus Iratus. Right when it was about to hit one of the arms, Blackstar jumped high enough so that he would be out of the blast radius. Meanwhile, Deus Iratus exploded on contact, launching fire and rocky debris outward. "'Bout time I got up here!" Blackstar landed on one of the arms, running while dragging the tip of the blade across the surface, sparks flying.  
  
"Look for a weak spot!" Kid instructed, flying around while firing shots constantly. He wasn't that focused on the arms. He was trying to find anything on Atlas that remotely resembled a weakness. He trusted his friends and comrades enough they could handle the immediate threat.  
  
"This thing isn't budging!" Tsuji shouted as he took a post on a tall tree and aimed his bow. "Ultima Arrow!" Tsuji rapidly fired blazing chartreuse arrows into the air that trickled down in a parabolic path. The hail of arrows bombarded one of the arms. However, true to what he said, Atlas wasn't flinching despite damage racking up on its arms.   
  
"Then, we'll just have to destroy the arms themselves!" Maka concluded, watching everything happening with narrowed eyes from her spot on the ground. She looked over to Caius, who was getting ready to launch another Deus Iratus, and quickly called out to him, "Caius! Let me jump on that!"  
  
"If you say so!" Caius assented, taking aim, "But hurry up. This isn't meant to be held in a waiting position for long!"  
  
"Hey, let me ride passenger on that!" Rowena and Kilik shouted as they quickly rushed over. Like Maka, they lacked long-range attacks and the ability to fly. The three meisters jumped on the lance-missile and steadied themselves. The minute they were, Caius launched it. Maka, Kilik, and Rowena all braced themselves against the fast rush of wind.   
  
Blackstar stabbed the Enchanted Sword into the surface of the arm, using it to help him stay in a stable position. Gravity was starting to take over the more inclined Atlas's arms got. Looking over his shoulder, he gritted his teeth when he saw that Atlas was getting dangerously close to striking the ground. "Stupid rock! Quit already!"   
  
Ox, Tsuji, and Caius – the only people on the ground – started to get worried. As Deus Iratus landed its mark, the giant shadows of Atlas's arms loomed above the ground, blotting out any light. Even through thoroughly damaged, the strength of arms caused the air pressure to build up. The ground shook, trees contorted helplessly, and debris flew. It was as if a bad storm was approaching. That’s how much raw power this thing possessed. The area, ground and air, would be annihilated if Atlas scored the hit, and they couldn’t run away from the impending destruction.  
  
"Witch Hunter!"  
  
"Double T!"  
  
"Broadax!"  
  
An extremely loud explosion was heard as Atlas's hollow roar echoed across Cobra Island. Its hands had burst into a shower of dust and chunks of rock, leaving nothing there but jagged stumps. The pain made it move faster because it brought its destroyed hands up to its face much more quickly than when it tried to destroy the land. It couldn't show an expression, but it was undoubtedly horrified by its sudden lack of hands.   
  
Tsuji grinned wildly at the close call. " _Whoo_! That's what I'm talking about!"   
  
Ox glanced at Maka, Kilik, and Rowena as they landed back on the ground. "Excellent job, you three."   
  
"That's one crisis down," Maka said as she looked up to Atlas with hardened green eyes. The monster glowered back at them with its blank eyes. "And one giant one left."  
  
Meanwhile, in the sky, Kid had ceased firing in order to better inspect their target. So it wasn't as implacable or indestructible as it initially seemed. On the other hand, it required too much effort and collaboration to produce any significant damage. He had lost count how many times they launched an attack at just its hands. The reaper's gilded eyes went up to examine Atlas's face when he suddenly noticed something.   
  
 _"What's that?"_  He thought, squinting his eyes. There was a red nodule within Atlas's head right where its right ear would be. His eyes shot open in realization. " _I found its weak spot_ —"  
  
The nodule suddenly glowed violently. For some reason, this made Atlas grab its head with its damaged arms and shake erratically as if it were in pain. Then, the titanic monster threw its arms and head back, channeling all that pain, and released another hollow roar. A white shockwave zoomed across the area, blowing away everyone and everything that didn't have anything to hold on to.    
  
" _W-whoa_!" Kid exclaimed as Beelzebub was forced backwards a considerable distance. Kim had a hard time regaining control, too, even with Jacqueline spewing out flames at maximum power. The meisters on the ground were all knocked back, screaming all the while.   
  
"Where the heck did this come from?!" Rowena shouted, digging her sledgehammer and her feet into the ground in hopes that she would stop skidding back. Her eyes were screwed shut to lock out the rushing wind from Atlas's shockwave attack.   
  
When the shockwave dispelled, Kilik regained equilibrium. He pushed up his glasses as he glared at the monster. "So it isn't as slow as I thought." It was strange how Atlas was bringing out faster attacks and exhibiting better mobility now of all times.  
  
Atlas felt more pain in its chest. It crossed its arms over the area, trying to clench it but unable to. It shuddered, feeling a sudden chill, before the rocks located there burst open, allowing two extra arms to emerge. They were considerably more organic in appearance – Kid even noted their red color resembled that of the nodule. The arms swatted at Kid and Kim, who both managed to dodge and escape their clutches. Atlas then formed energy spheres in the palms of its newly made hands, throwing them at the meisters at the ground.   
  
"Shoot them down! Hurry!" Ox ordered, pointing at his spear at the oncoming projectiles. Tsuji, Crona, and Caius also prepared their own attacks, firing Ultima Arrow, Screech Alpha, and Deus Iratus alongside Ox's Royal Thunder Heavenward Drill. All of the attacks collided in the midair, creating a violent explosion that once again forced everyone backwards.   
  
Like with its shockwave cry, Kim lost control of her ride as she struggled to regain it from the force of the explosion. "Its attacks are even stronger than before!"   
  
The red arms Atlas brew out of its chest then receded, the monster itself recoiling as they were withdrawn. A sizeable gash remained where the arms once were. Odd; this gave Kid the impression its own attack hurt itself. "I need to get to that weak spot I saw." Kid said as the wheels of Beelzebub spewed out hot air.   
  
"No need for that, Kid!"  
  
For once, the Shinigami was relieved to hear Blackstar’s loud voice. Kid found him standing near the entrance to the cavern that housed that red nodule. "It's time for this big lug to step down and let the real big man take over!" Blackstar held up the Enchanted Sword along with two fingers as the shadows around him danced. His eyes were focused on his target, preparing to end this whole battle.  
  
 _SLASH!_  
  
"Shadow☆Star: Checkmate Slash."  
  
In one fell swoop, Blackstar cleaved through the red nodule and burst through other side of the Atlas's head. Amid the storm of debris, the crimson knob fell out, ridding Atlas of its apparent power source. The titanic monster straightened up. Oddly enough, it didn't scream or writhe in agony. It just stood there.  
  
And made a sound of relief.   
  
Kim flew over, allowing Blackstar the ability to grab a hold of Change 'Pixie.' Meanwhile, Atlas's entire body was consumed by darkness, and strands of blackness unraveled one by one. Soon enough, an empty space replaced where Atlas stood.  
  
Soul released a drawn-out sigh. "Finally."   
  
"Mission accomplished." Harvar announced. It was a close call, but they managed to slay their target nonetheless.   
  
Little they did know, their time on Cobra Island was nowhere near done. As the Meisters and Weapons regrouped, everything they did was relayed to a magical crystal ball. In a cave inside the monolith, lit by serpentine torches, Medusa Gorgon watched everything happen. She frowned, not pleased with how the battle turned out. "After all that trouble I went to modifying Atlas, I wasn't able to see much from those brats." She took a calming, deep breath as she pulled her hood over her head. A sinister smile replaced her disappointed frown. "Oh, well. It's a good thing I'm always prepared." She placed her hand near the crystal ball and snapped her fingers, initiating her fail-safe. "And as for my game, I think I'll just randomly pick someone."  
  
Meanwhile, Jacqueline was the first to notice nothing appeared after Atlas died. "Hey, where's the Kishin Egg Soul?"    
  
"You didn’t absorb it, did you, Tsubaki?" Liz asked cheekily, looking at the Shadow Weapon.  
  
The innocent accusation made Tsubaki balk as she shook her head and hands rapidly. "N-no! I wouldn't do that without a group consensus!"  
  
Loud rustling put a stop to any further discussion. Everyone looked to see a bush shaking violently. Soon, the same red nodule that Blackstar supposedly destroyed slithered out, dragging Atlas's Kishin Egg Soul with it.   
  
" _Hey, wait a minute_!" Blackstar pointed at the strange organism, outraged. "Didn't I kill you!?" The nodule turned to them and bared its fangs, hissing at them before shooting away at blinding speeds and taking the soul with it.    
  
"Get that snake!" Maka ordered as she and the rest of her group pursued the fleeing creature. When Caius grabbed the lance and readied himself to sprint, a vector snake poked its head out of the ground and shot up his pant leg. A sudden but brief pain caused him to trip and fall over the second he moved.    
  
Claudia’s reflection appeared on the lance’s blade. "Caius, are you okay?"   
  
"Y-yeah." Caius massaged the spot where he felt it. There was nothing there, and the pain was completely gone. Must have been a stick or somrthing that poked him, he thought, because when he got back to his feet and ran, he felt nothing.   
  
All the while, Medusa watched the chase scene with a smirk, excitement welling up in her chest. "One down. Nine more to go."


	24. A Minor Setback

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maka and company thought this mission would be smooth sailing. Too bad Medusa doesn't plan on letting them leave so soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.

**A Minor Setback**  
  
Blood oozed out of an orc’s mouth as it stumbled backwards, one of its tusks falling to the ground. Its black eyes dilated in rage as it saw its attacker land on the ground. Meredith glared at her target with cold eyes, her long purple coat slowly falling in place. The orc roared as it charged at her. A bony blade jutted out from its wrist, and it swung it at the girl.  
  
However, Meredith raised her arm and blocked the blade with one of her purple gauntlets. She stood her ground when the orc applied pressure and tried to overpower her in contest of physical strength. She tightened her grip around the chain in her other hand, cueing her partner. “Luther.”   
  
“It’s about time.” The chain rattled to life as it shot out and soon wrapped around the orc’s upper body. Capitalizing on the confusion, Meredith ducked beneath the orc’s bone blade and drove her fist right into its gut. The orc went spiraling backwards a few feet before landing on its stomach. At that moment, the chain tightened around the orc’s throat. Chocking, the Kishin Egg flailed, trying to get free, but to no avail.   
  
Meredith grabbed the chain with both hands and pulled the orc back over to her, hoping each tug would bring it closer to death. "It appears the muscle mass around your neck and shoulders prevents strangulation." Meredith remarked, seeing that didn’t help. "Luther, you know what to do."  
  
"I figured it would come to this." Came the suave-sounding response. Some of the links on the chain glowed before transforming into a pair of arms. The spidery fingers traced the lines of the beast’s muscular neck, Luther using his tactile sense to find the best spots. Once he did, his deceptively strong fingers grabbed hold, "Okay, Mr. Kishin Egg, this shall only hurt for a second. I heard the embrace of death can be rather comforting, so don't despair please."  
  
_CRACK!_  
  
In one swift motion, Luther forced the orc’s head to be roughly perpendicular to its entire body. As Meredith unraveled the chains from the around the fresh corpse, the monster's body was swallowed by darkness, revealing a Kishin Egg Soul afterwards. "Extermination complete." Meredith announced, gathering the chain around her arm before throwing it up.  
  
In a flash of light, Luther transformed back into his human state and landed beside his sister. "Provided that Audrey and Tom have fulfilled their end of the quota, particularly the former." Luther pocketed the soul into his vest pocket, absorbing it. "After all, this is hers and Shannon's remedial lesson. We're simply volunteers."  
  
"In this day and age, we must band together." Meredith muttered as she adjusted her black fingerless gloves, turning to the side and looking at the dingy, Bermudan horizon. "If we continue working hard work, we'll achieve a breakthrough soon enough."  
  
Luther looked over his shoulder at Meredith. Despite her serious and oftentimes drab demeanor, Meredith was quite the altruistic individual. Everything she did was in the name of the Academy or the Half Moon Class, and no hardship fazed her. "Meredith, tell me something," he requested, "Do you work hard because of Mr. Matilda or for yourself?"  
  
"Neither.” Meredith replied, looking at Luther dead in his eyes. Her navy eyes were steeled with more resolve than usual. "For the Olmett Family. We have a legacy to maintain. Even when progress seems vain, I will remain steadfast and let my actions benefit the good of the DWMA."  
  
Meredith placed so much pride in her family, and for good reason. The Olmett Family was legendary in the Academy's history. Their roots could be traced back to the first attendants to the school centuries ago. Not only that, the Olmett Family – in some way, shape, or form – participated in many significant events, such as the Star Clan extermination or the 'Period of Destruction.' Finally, the ancestors of the Olmett Family were responsible for laying the boundaries of basic martial arts training in the Academy in response to Witches' stronger physiologies. Their famous skill, Soul Fist, was a direct byproduct of these efforts.   
  
"No wonder everyone in Half Moon sees you as our best." Luther smiled as he wrapped his arms around her. "Even with that good head on your shoulders, I'll make sure to keep you on the straight and narrow."  
  
"Thank you, Luther. That's all I ask." Meredith closed her eyes and placed one hand on her brother's to convey her gratitude. Just then, her stomach rumbled, rather loudly.  
  
Luther’s gaped and released his sister, pointing at her in disbelief. “You’re  _still_  hungry?! Even after wolfing down that whole picket basket on the way here?!”  
  
Meredith stared at him, an embarrassed blush appearing on her face. “I expend a lot of energy. Sorry.”  
  
Soon, they were joined by a 16-year-old, Chinese girl. She had purple eyes and shoulder-length, pale red hair decorated by a dark white ribbon around her head. Her outfit consisted of a silver, sleeveless vest with pointed shoulders, a brooch with a blue gem, a red pleated skirt, white stockings, and silver ankle boots. "Me and Shannon are finished." Audrey announced, tapping a dark brown, fencing baton on her own shoulder.   
  
Mere seconds later, a teenaged boy with short dark hair with bangs swept to the side arrived, wearing a buttoned shirt, rolled-up sleeves, and dark pants. His shirt had lapels with skull logo, and his belt had a skull buckle.  
  
"We done yet? I almost broke my back chasing these three monsters." Tom bent backwards to relieve some soreness in said area. In his hand was a foil that he idly played with.    
  
"I believe we are." Meredith then looked over to Audrey, exchanging hard stares between her and the weapon, "Are we, Audrey, Shannon?"  
  
"Yeah, yeah," sighed the tired voice from within the baton, "Thanks for the help."  
  
"What are comrades for?" asked the soft-spoken voice coming from the foil, "But I sincerely hope that episode won't be repeated."  
  
"It won't, Thornton," Audrey reassured with a smile, "Shannon was able to overcome her power's influence, and I was able to conquer and master them myself."  
  
"No, it’s because of that weird-looking, shadowy geezer inside our heads." Shannon corrected flatly. Nevertheless, this was a chapter in their lives that she and her partner hoped to never go through again. From the setbacks, they reaped benefits.   
  
"With that, let us take our leave." Luther announced, starting to walk away, "Come along, everyone. Our plane probably awaits."  
  
"Yeah, can't wait to get home and eat some dinner." Tom yawned as he folded his arms behind his head, following the Demon Chain with everyone else.  
  
“Which reminds me,” Meredith spoke up, hoping her stomach wouldn’t growl again, “Anyone have small snack or something?”  
  
Tom gave her a deadpan stare. “You serious?” Shaking his head and sighing, he took a small loaf of bread. “Here. I saved this—”  
  
_CHOMP!_  
  
Tom’s jaw dropped to the ground when Meredith’s mouth engulfed his entire hand. Slowly, she pulled back, coating it in saliva. She swallowed the bread with a loud gulp and gave him a gracious a bow. “I appreciate your thoughtfulness, Tom.”  
  
Audrey brought the fencing baton to her mouth and whispered, “I told you Meredith’s like a zoo animal when it comes to being offered food.”   
  
As the group left, a few misshapen heads peeked over a small precipice, watching them leave A Surveillance Crab crawled up the shoulder one of them, zooming in on the Academy students and relaying everything back to Cancer’s sanctuary in Subterrene.   
  
"Thank goodness these Anria noticed them and decided to hide." Cancer said to herself, shoulders slumping in relief. That would have blown the operation if they got caught. Now that she thought about it, these particular Anria didn't immediately attack like the others did. They had the wherewithal to lay low without an express command. It was a sign of a burgeoning sense of awareness, much like what Henderson hypothesized with Gilgamesh. "Continue." She ordered, her voice sounding on the Surveillance Crab. The Anria moved on, resuming their walk to the nearby village currently being razed.   
  
"If what Henderson said is true, and what I am seeing is holding weight, by the time the Anria finish depopulating Bermuda, things might be looking up for me." Cancer watched the Anria retrieve and eat as many as Human Souls as they could find. A thought crossed her head, prompting her to turn around and urgently walk away.   
  
"I had better tell Henderson to delay cutting off all communication lines and escape routes so that those Academy students can leave none the wiser."  


* * *

  
The chase brought Maka and her friends into the monolith. The earthen corridors were barely lit by torches placed on the stone walls. However, the shadows deep in the bowels of the monolith proved useful. The bright red color of the soul and the snake acted as a beacon in the darkness that the group of students could easily follow.   
  
"Man, that snake's fast!" Kilik remarked, gnashing his teeth together. No matter how fast he or anybody else went, the snake outpaced them.   
  
"Just don't lose sight of it!" Harvar urged from the back of the pack.  
  
After long minutes of running, soft light began to break through the darkness, and the snake disappeared within it. It was the end of the tunnel. Cautious as they were, the group of Meisters and Weapons knew they had to go in themselves. When they crossed through, they found themselves in the middle of a giant, grayish room.  
  
Ox scanned the wide area, putting his guard up. "A pretty big field.” There was only one logical reason as to why the snake fled to here. "Pretty obvious we're about to start fighting something."  
  
On cue, they heard clapping. A dull flash of red appeared at the front of the room. It was the snake slithering up a rock formation. Soon, it came across a person, running a dark-skinned leg peeking through the thigh-high slit of a red and black petticoat. The serpent spiraled around the corset while depositing the soul into the slim hand of the woman. Finally, the snake coiled around her bare shoulders, snuggling against the woman's dark bronze hair.   
  
"Welcome." She said in a voice devoid of emotion, peering at the group with blank, brown eyes.   
  
"Lady, what's this about?" Rowena shouted out. This mission was supposed to be the simple elimination of Atlas. Now, it escalated into a chase inside a room with some chick. It didn't take long for any of them to realize there was more to this mission than it seemed.   
  
"Are you behind the Atlas attack?" Kid accused, glaring at her.   
  
"Hmm. What do you think?" she replied, petting the snake as its body twitched in pleasure. It wasn't sarcasm. She wanted them to think however they wanted. It made no difference to her. "My name is Krysa. Very nice to see you all here."  
  
Maka took a step forward, her green eyes boring into Krysa's brown ones. Frankly, she was insulted by the pageantry this woman showed. She was beating around the bush. "Give back that soul. And what have you done with our captains?!" She held up her scythe, primed and ready to cut her apart.   
  
Krysa did not respond with words. Instead, she ceased petting the red snake and snapped her fingers. Two of the rocks on either side of her jerked to life. They fell over, revealing two vacant holes. Then, the group of students heard the rattling of chains. Out of the holes, two suspended cages emerged, revealing both Mizune and Free inside them, still garbed in their captain uniforms.   
  
"Here they are." Krysa announced with the most toneless of voices.   
  
"Sprogs! This beauty has us prisoner! Help us or else we're walkin' the plank!" Free kept up the subterfudge by imitating a pirate. He then looked at the witch across from him and said, "See? I settled on the sea."  
  
Mizune refrained from slamming her head on the bars of the cage. She was just glad that she wouldn't have to play this charade anymore after this phase. However, she still had a part to act out until the curtains completely closed. “Kids! You gotta get out of this here! Before this whole situation gets worse!”  
  
Ragnarok snarled. “Well. Now we know what happened to them.”   
  
“Okay, that’s it. I’m done standing around!” Tsuji declared as he and Marcellus conducted a Mode Change, converting the Demon Bow to its Javelin Form. “Let’s jump her!”  
  
Impulsively, Tsuji, Rowena, Blackstar, and Kilik let out battle cries as they sprinted forward with their weapons. “Guys, wait!” Soul called out, but they didn’t pay attention. In their minds, Krysa was defenseless, and their targets were right in front of them. The time to act was now.   
  
Medusa watched the display as she hummed to herself, pondering on which of her predetermined ‘games’ did she want to put the children through. She smiled sinisterly when she made her choice, fingers dancing around the upper hemisphere of her crystal ball. "Nake snake cobra cobra. Nake snake cobra cobra."  
  
“Alright, you creepy, no-emotion broad,” Blackstar led the pack as he gripped the Enchanted Sword with black static cracking along the blade. “Take thi-!”  
  
Suddenly, a surge of black energy burst out of the ground. Tsuji, Rowena, Blackstar, and Kilik immediately hit the brakes, skidding to a complete stop. Nerves on overdrive, they reflexively jumped back or backpedalled to create distance between them and the new wall that separated them from their targets.   
  
“W-What’s going on?!” Kim shouted in concern as everyone else watched. She couldn’t help but shudder as the hairs on her neck stood on end. Magical creatures like Witches could innately sense magic energy. It was how Witches could usually find each other even with Soul Protect, a magical technique, on. Kim could feel danger radiating from that wall of dark energy ahead. Although she was nowhere near it, it felt like snakes were slithering all around her body.   
  
The wall of energy finally began to split apart at different sections. These segments thinned out, becoming separate entities that grew heads, glaring at the students with glowing, gold eyes. The black skin beneath their eyes tore open, revealing large, dribbling mouth with sharp fangs as the creatures released a loud sound, combining both a hiss and a roar.   
  
“If you all are capable of beating these cobras, the captains will be freed.” Krysa explained as the black cobras rapped their tails on the ground, the sounds similar to a whip breaking the sound barrier. Then, a flicker flashed atop the cages containing Mizune and Free, growing into a black, magical flame. “If you cannot by the time these flames consume the cages, they will not be, and I will see you higher up the monolith.”

Soul growled, his sharp teeth gnashing against one another. “Is she seriously making a sick game out of this?” This was simply unforgivable. This woman was playing with people’s lives.

  
“Okay, fine then! You wanna play?” Tsuji knew this was going to get rough, brutal, and wild. He grabbed his blazer and chucked it off his body, figuring it would get in the way of the bedlam awaiting him and his comrades. “Then let’s play!”  
  
Maka pointed her scythe at the cobras. “Charge!” She and the others in the back headed into battle, brandishing their weapons.   
  
Everyone except Crona. Its eyes were glued to the black cobras as they fought the other Meisters. Their movements were sinuous, slithering across the ground and air as they maneuvered around all physical and special attacks. Their strikes were furious, lashing out their tails and fangs with great quickness. Crona’s hand, the one holding the sword, began to tremble.   
  
“Hey! Crona!” Ragnarok shouted, feeling his weapon form shake, “What’s the matter?”  
  
“R-Ragnarok,” Crona’s voice was barely above a whisper. Those snakes were eerily familiar. They oozed a calm sense of danger, the type exclusive to those who could commit atrocities without a second thought. Too familiar in fact, and that elicited a sense of dread in Crona. Throat parched, the meister croaked out, “I… Those c-cobras…”   
  
“What about them?” Ragnarok questioned. In the spiritual dimension of his weapon form, his eyes locked onto some of the cobras. He stared at them hard, trying to see what Crona was talking about.   
  
“It’s time for you to burn!” Caius batted away a cobra’s tail with his lance and subsequently jumped over an attempted bite. The snake was wide open for an attack from above, and Caius knew just the move to give it the death it deserved. “Regnum Dei!” Caius removed one hand off of the lance as his wavelength sparked along it.  
  
But that was it.  
  
Caius’s eyes shrunk as he looked at his arm, unable to believe that the wavelength flames didn’t manifest.  _”Where’s my Soul Blaze?!”_  Now, he was the one wide open. The cobra sunk its fangs into Caius’s defenseless arm. His eyes dilated, mouth stuck ajar. The searing pain was so sharp that he momentarily stopped breathing to prevent the release of a scream. The cobra then shot forward like a rocket, driving Caius into the nearby wall.   
  
At that moment, Ragnarok felt the same thing Crona did. Ruthless aggression, no care for personal wellbeing. Both of them had been exposed to such cruelty for a long time and were all too familiar with the situation. Only one person was capable of this. Parts of their bodies ached, serving as a dreadful remainder of the abuse they suffered.   
  
“She’s alive.”   
  
“Hold still and lemme shoot you!” Tsuji yelled as he launched arrow after arrow at one of the cobras, who continued to swerve around them. The rest of Marcellus’s Mode Change Forms were too inconvenient in this situation, so he had to settle for Default Form.   
  
With a roar of exertion, Kilik jumped over him and slammed one of the metal gloves onto the tail of the cobra, stopping it cold. “Tsuji! Try it now!” The minute the cobra rotated around to rip Kilik’s head off, a chartreuse arrow of energy suddenly lodged itself into its skull.  
  
“Bull’s-eye, baby!” Tsuji grinned, excited that he hit his mark. “‘Preciate the backup, Kilik!”  
  
Rowena, meanwhile, was experiencing great difficulty. She continuously swung her sledgehammer only for the cobra to evade each blow. Whenever she swung horizontally, the snake would duck and slink elsewhere. If she tried to smash it to the ground, it would strafe left or right. “ _You’re getting on my bad side_!” Rowena roared, rushing forward. The cobra moved faster, shooting toward her and driving its skull into Rowena’s jaw.   
  
Blackstar saw Rowena struggling, watching as the snake dragged her across the ground. “I’ll take that off your hands, Rowena.” While the cobra was distracted playing with the Sledgehammer Meister, shadowy tendrils came out and seized the snake. The next instant, it was split in half. Blackstar skidded across the ground on one knee, stopping himself from the momentum of his own speedy slash.   
  
“Good on ya, Blacky.” Nayumi said appreciatively, glad he was there to save her meister.   
  
“Damn snake!  _Get off_!” Caius stabbed the persistent cobra with his lance using his free hand. His body pumping him full of adrenaline, the Lance Meister desperately tried to remove the cobra. Even with the head pierced, the snake’s jaws were wedged shut. Blood oozed from Caius’s arm, more and more falling to the ground by the second. The pain was sharper than the lance itself.  
  
“Witch Hunter!”  
  
Being extra careful not to hit Caius, Maka landed in front of him as she twisted her body, cleaving the persistent cobra in half with Witch Hunter. The sudden attack made the cobra’s jaws loosen up, giving Caius the chance to simply to push it off.   
  
“Caius, you okay?” Maka asked as Witch Hunter dispelled, looking at him.   
  
“I-I think.” Caius stood up, pressing his back against the stone wall as he did. The torn arm-belts dropped to the ground. Two holes had punctured through Caius’s bandaged arm-warmers, making them wet with blood. Caius growled as he dropped the lance and gripped his bicep tightly, trying to cut off the flow of throbbing pain.  
  
“Oh my goodness, Caius, let me see!” The fallen lance glowed pink as Claudia returned to her human form. She didn’t know better, but she grabbed Caius’s forearm right where the wounds were.   
  
“ _Ow_!” Agony, a white-hot blade, sliced through Caius as Claudia’s fingers touched the most sensitive of pain receptors. Completely out of reflex, Caius pushed her away with his other arm. “ _Claudia, stop_!”  
  
“Claudia, you don’t hold open wounds like that!” Maka chastised, dropping to her knees to look at the injury herself.   
  
“But, I… I…” Claudia couldn’t form words as she only sat there. She felt hurt that Caius, someone who always looked after her wellbeing, had knocked her down like that. However, at the same time, she had only herself to blame. She caused him more pain because of her own ineptitude. The agonized grimace she saw on his face tore her heart in two. Guilt washed through; she hurt someone close to her.   
  
Meanwhile, the others finished dispatching the group of cobras and littered the ground with their carcasses. “Alright, lady, we killed ‘em all!” Kilik turned to Krysa and pointed a finger at her. “Let ‘em go!”  
  
The magical fire did not stop. In fact, it continued to engulf the cages to the point the upper halves of Mizune and Free weren’t visible. “You aren’t finished.” Krysa said, not moving an inch. To everyone’s surprise, the remnants of the cobras started to move again. Black liquids spewed out of the remains. Like the mythical hydra when its head was removed, the halves of one snake became two, individual serpents. Tails, heads, faces, everything was regrown. The total number of cobras had doubled.   
  
“Better hurry.” Krysa suggested.  
  
Kim quickly jumped back as a snake snapped at her. “Hey! No fair!”   
  
Rowena glared daggers at Krysa. “Now, how are you gonna give us a time limit to beat things that’ll get back up?!” Her attention was quickly brought back to the matters at hand when she heard the clash of metal. She turned around to see that Ox had intercepted a snake going for her.    
  
“Stop sweating the details, just fight!” Harvar urged.   
  
Maka busied herself by fighting against two cobras that birthed from the one she defeated. After all, she had to protect her severely injured comrade. “Caius, can you fight?” She ducked under a snake and kicked it away, followed by hitting the other with the shaft of her scythe.   
  
Caius had taken the arm-belts and bandages off of his other arm, wrapping the latter around his wounded arm. He didn’t make it tight, fearing the pain would make him black out, but enough to prevent infection. When he was done, Claudia returned to her lance form. Caius grabbed it and assumed his normal battle stance. The muscles in his forearm triggered the pain receptors from just holding the lance properly. Screwing his eyes shut, he reflexively dropped the lance. “N-No!”   
  
_”Why on earth didn’t Caius’s attack work?”_  Claudia thought, her reflection appearing on the lance’s blade as she stared up at him. No sane meister would leave him or herself open like that.   
  
“ _Kids_! What’s taking so long?!” Mizune shouted in anguish. She was on the floor of the cage where the veil of flames had not yet reached. Free didn’t even bother. In fact, he hoped his lack of action presented the image that he had succumbed to despair and was awaiting his imminent end.   
  
“Guys! We need to do something before we run out of time!” Tsubaki implored, noticing how close they were making things.   
  
“We’re trying, Tsubaki!” Kid replied, firing barrage after barrage at a cobra facing him. The collective number of shots reduced it to a pile of viscera. However, seconds later, two arose from the remains. Kid was losing his patience. For every cobra felled, at least two returned to the fray.   
  
“We’re getting nowhere, Kid!” Liz cried out in distress, noticing how bleak things were getting.   
  
“I know that!”  
  
Marcellus’s profile appeared on the crystal ball of his Default Form as he looked around. If the Meisters continued like this, they would run out of time. He glanced to the front of the room and saw that the flames were dangerously close to consuming the entire cages. With no other options, it was time to be unconventional. “Tsuji. You’re going to need to shoot down the cages themselves,” He explained, looking at the links keeping them suspended and where the magical fire emanated, “And at the same time.”  
  
“No way around it, I guess.” Tsuji flipped over a cobra while shooting two arrows through its head. “After all, she didn’t say we couldn’t.”  
  
“Guys!” Marcellus shouted, catching the attention of their friends, “Cover Tsuji!”  
  
Medusa narrowed her eyes.  _“What does he mean by that?”_  
  
Tsuji pulled back the bowstring, generating energy arrows. However, before he could take proper aim, serpents surrounded him. “I gotcha, bro!” Rowena hurried over and slammed her sledgehammer behind him, cutting off or smashing cobras into the ground. Kilik followed suit by throwing fire at the snakes in front of him.   
  
“Thanks, guys!” Tsuji moved elsewhere as Kilik and Rowena attacked all cobras trying to pursue him. However, as soon as he raised his bow, more cobras headed toward him, jumping up to obscure his vision. “Oh, shoot!” Tsuji quickly back-flipped out of the way as the snakes struck the ground. It seemed they were onto his and Marcellus’s plan to subvert the rules of the game.   
  
Then, loud pops were heard the snakes were hit in the face, causing them to recoil. “Tsuji! Jump as high as you can!” Kid ordered, holding down the triggers to his pistols. Tsuji unhesitatingly jumped into the air, allowing Kid the chance to shoot down and distract more of the snakes. Ox ran up and struck a few others that Kid missed with his spear.   
  
“Better hurry and take a shot.” Marcellus insisted, gritting his teeth as he noticed only the feet of the captains were visible.  
  
Even though his friends managed to preoccupy most of the cobras, two of them managed to slip past. They quickly positioned themselves beneath the falling Tsuji, opened their mouths to reveal their gleaming fangs, and prepared to catch his legs with them. Tsuji saw them and readied himself. “Chew on  _this_!” He shot both of his legs out to either side, slamming his feet into the snakes’ head with enough power to daze them. Tsuji steadied himself using their faces as footholds as he pulled back the bowstring and locked on to the tops of the cages.  
  
_“He really is going to shoot down the cages!”_  Medusa thought. She figured as much, hence why she made the cobras focus on him, but to see it actually happening was a different experience. If he made this shot, it would ruin this phase of her plan. “Not so fast, little boy.” The snake witch placed her hands over the crystal ball, casting a spell again.   
  
A vector snake peeled off one of the cobras and darted up Tsuji’s left pant leg. “Gotcha.” Tsuji declared as he smirked in triumph. Then, out of nowhere, he felt a sharp but quick pulse of pain, causing him to stagger only slightly. With a sharp intake of breath to help cast it away, Tsuji finally fired.  
  
Two arrows of energy flew through the air, heading toward the chains that kept the cages suspended. For a moment, Krysa looked surprised, wondering to herself how someone could fire two arrows at the same time, aimed at two different things. Once Maka and the others had time, they glanced over, watching the arrows get closer and closer.   
  
Clouds of dust and gravel spewed out when the arrows made contact. Tsuji and Marcellus exhaled in relief. Then, they heard the snakes below hiss. Tsuji swiftly back-flipped and, during the motion, swung his leg in a crushing arc, cracking the skulls of both snakes in one aerial kick. “And that’s game, ladies and gentlemen.” He said as he placed a hand on the ground and flipped himself back to his feet.   
  
“Nice shootin’, Tex!” Kilik watched as the remains of the cobras were swallowed by darkness, disappearing along with it. The Pot Twins were clapping in the spiritual dimension of their weapon forms.   
  
“Finally. Crisis averted.” Kim released a prolonged sigh of relief. In her opinion, this took too much work. At least now they could grab that Kishin Egg Soul and arrest Krysa.   
  
“Couldn’t do it without the assist!” Tsuji said appreciatively, giving his friends a thumbs-up and a grin. “That bull’s eye was cuz of you—”  
  
“Time’s up.”  
  
Everyone’s heads snapped forward as Krysa’s cold and emotionless voice ended their brief celebration. The dust clouds had settled, revealing both arrows stuck in the stone walls behind and above the cages, which were completely engulfed in the magical fire. Time was up, and their plan had failed. Gasps of shock escaped some of the Meisters and Weapons as their eyes shrunk in disbelief. With a snap of Krysa’s fingers, the magical flames rose to the ceiling, phasing through the solid rock and taking the cages with them. To the students, the fate of their captains were unknown.   
  
“It appears your friend missed.” Krysa stated plainly. The reality of the statement spoke for itself. They made a mistake completely relying on Tsuji. “Unfortunately, you were not able to defeat all of the enemies. Therefore, you lose the challenge. You are still stuck on Cobra Island.”  
  
“ _Are you kidding me_?!” Soul roared as his reflection appeared on the blade of the scythe. His red eyes glared daggers at the woman, “The odds were against us! We weren’t meant to win in the first place!” Soul’s accusation was hinged upon a few things he observed during the scuffle. The red snake led them here to unfamiliar territory Krysa obviously knew about, the cobras were able to regenerate and multiply even after killing blows, and those flames consumed those cages relatively quickly.   
  
“Those who lose games always give reasons to justify their lost, plausible or otherwise.” Krysa replied uncaringly as the platform she stood upon jerked to life, receding into the stone wall as part of it opened up to allow entry. “I suggest moving on to the next floor if you want your captains to stay alive.” The red snake accompanying her mockingly waved its tail at them as they disappeared. The compartment fell back to place with an echoic thud, leaving the students to mull over their failure.   
  
“What’s the big deal, Tsuji?!” Blackstar stomped over to the marksman. This was a bad loss, one that his pride did not tolerate. Not only that, the problem had been compounded, forcing them to keep going. “I thought you said you had it! You missed! You weren’t even  _close_!”  
  
“Yeah, Tsuji, I’ve seen you make shots like that before.” Nayumi said concernedly as her reflection appeared on the hammerhead of her weapon form.  
  
Everybody didn’t like that they were outsmarted in a seemingly simple battle, but Tsuji felt the worst. His accuracy was unmatched, yet those were easy shots he failed to land. “I… I had it! I-I don’t even know how I… There’s just no way!” He despairingly dropped to his knees. Everyone, most especially their captains, depended on his aim to get them out of this situation, and he failed.  
  
Marcellus removed his unfinished lollipop from his mouth as he swallowed dryly. This performance did not bode well as far as he was concerned. “Listen, guys,” he spoke up, “We beat Atlas, completed the mission, and we’re fine. How about we cut our losses, call for help, bail, and come back with backup and better resources?”  
  
“If you’re scared, Marcellus,  _you_  can go back.” Blackstar rolled his eyes as he faced forward. In the distance, where Krysa formerly was, he spotted a stone staircase. “I refuse to admit that chick got the best of us. Especially me.”  
  
“Besides,” Kid added in as the rest of the group gathered around in a circle, “I won’t feel at ease knowing we didn’t bring Krysa down. As long she has Atlas’s soul and that snake that brought us here, we can’t let her out of our sight. She needs to be taken care of  _now_.”  
  
“Come on, when does common sense come into play? It’s okay to run sometimes.” Marcellus contended, staring hard at the Grim Reaper with his slate blue eyes. He may be preaching to himself, but it had to be known how he felt. Though, in the deep recesses of his heart, Marcellus knew his argument was grounded in fear. He didn’t like how things were going, and he wanted to get out of here while they could.  
  
“We’re  _not_  running away.” Maka stated firmly. Doing so would be an insult to her personally and as an Academy student. They may had been led here, but there was an evil here that needed to be exterminated before it spread outside of Cobra Island. “We took this for granted and paid for it. That doesn’t mean we should take it lying down. I’m with both Blackstar and Kid on this.”  
  
As Maka was the de facto leader of this group, her word was final. Marcellus sighed heavily as he put his lollipop back in his mouth, clamming up. Unless asked to, he wasn’t going to say anything else. Rowena walked up to Tsuji and held out a hand. He took it and was helped up to his feet. Rowena gave him a reassuring pat on his back, and he nodded slowly. Nothing needed to be said between them. Tsuji understood he would get another chance at redemption later.   
  
Maka looked at the staircase ahead of them, remembering Krysa practically daring them to advance to the second floor. Her eyes hardened with determination as she took a purposeful step forward. “Let’s go take her soul and get our captains back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are. Yet another chapter of Troubled Souls, written during my first whole week of the spring semester.
> 
> As of this writing, I'd like to announce that I've finally figured out where to place this story in terms of canon chronology and what canon elements need to be change or rearranged in order to compensate the story. The short version is that Soul Eater: Troubled Souls takes place after the Baba Yaga Castle arc and combines events of both the anime and the manga. How? It'd be too distracting to explain it all in a simple author notes, so I hope the bits and pieces of information in-story I drop hereafter will help explain.
> 
> Also, I'd like to announce that, if nobody has noticed, that the prequel Soul Eater Zeta is up and running. Please give that story your consideration as well.
> 
> Lastly, I would REALLY like to give a shout-out and a thank-you to all the people who's been reading this story. Everyone who has kept reading up to this point, favorited it, and everything. I know I don't say a lot in the author notes, but honestly, I appreciate it because it shows that my hard work is paying off. After all, a story is only as good (or bad) if the readers think of it as such.
> 
> EDIT (6/4/2015): As of this date, the former character Matthew has been replaced by Tom. Tom is the EAT-Class student that Ox fights during the Battle Festival in Soul Eater Not. What’s the purpose for this change? Using canon resources to the fullest.


	25. Ouroboros

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maka and company finally reach the second floor and face their next challenge. In the meantime, Medusa and Shaula discuss what they plan to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.
> 
> (4/6/2015): So yeah, um, long time no see, everybody. Don’t worry, I’m gonna explain myself.
> 
> For those who don’t know, I went back and reedited the first 24 chapters. I added stuff, I proofread, I restructured, etc., etc. I encourage you to reread the first half of Chapters 2 and 18, and all of Chapter 19. Their changes were pretty significant. As for the others, you don’t have to. Do that at your leisure.
> 
> It took a long time (much longer than I expected), and I apologize for that. But! We can now finally move on with the show.

**Ouroboros**  
  
Caius watched as Kim placed her hands over his injured arm. She closed her eyes and mumbled a magical incantation, a very long one Caius couldn’t understand. Then, a yellowish light appeared between her hands and his arm. Within seconds, all of the lingering pain in Caius’s forearm started to go away. He held his breath when Kim actually put her hands on him, but he felt nothing but her gentle touch.   
  
The glow eventually disappeared, and Kim removed her hands. “All done,” she said. Caius stared at his arm and clenched his fist, flexing the muscles. It felt good as new. Kim picked up her lantern and suggested, “I’d keep the bandages on though. Just to be safe.”   
  
“You have my gratitude, Kim,” Caius replied as he picked up his lance.  
  
She gave him an innocent smile and patted him on his shoulder. “I’ll be sure to send the bill when we get back.”  
  
“All right, that sounds—” His voice trailed off when he finally registered that Kim was charging him for her services. “Wait, huh?” However, she had already skipped to the front of the pack, not giving him time to say anything. Caius then scratched the side of his head in confusion. “Okay?”  
  
“Um, Caius?” The Vladingham looked at the lance’s blade and saw Claudia’s reflection. She nervously played with her hair, having difficulty keeping eye contact with him. She was afraid that he might be mad at her for worsening his former injury. “Is it better?”  
  
“Much better, yes.”  
  
Claudia exhaled in relief. He sounded normal, and she was glad that Kim healed him. However, there was the issue of why it happened. “You couldn’t use Regnum Dei. Know why?”  
  
Caius sighed as he started walking. “I really wish I did.” That was a very dangerous blunder he didn’t wish to repeat. “For the time being, it’s best I act like I can’t use it anymore. Or my Soul Blaze for that matter.”  
  
“W-What!?” Claudia understood that Caius was being precautious, but to forbid himself from using his entire arsenal of attacks seemed too much. That would leave him with just his meister skills and a single Soul Resonance. “You can’t do that! What are we going to do in a fight?!”  
  
Caius stopped walking and jammed the blunt end of the lance into the ground so that the blade was eye-to-eye with him. Claudia flinched and gulped nervously, not expecting that. Caius exhaled sharply through his nose as he gave her a firm look. “Alright then, what can _you_ do to help me?” Here she was talking about what ‘they’ were going to do, and what ‘he’ was supposed to do. He wanted to hear how ‘she’ could help solve the problem. After all, this was supposed to be a partnership.  
  
Claudia wanted to answer, to say _something_. But, deep down, she knew it was impossible. Her gaze fell down, and she hung her head. Caius said nothing more. He removed the lance from the ground and raced to catch up with the others. He wanted Claudia to think about this. And thinking she did. To her, everything led to one simple fact. A reality she had ran away from for far too long. A reality whose consequences didn’t occur to her until now when it was too late.  
  
 _“I’m useless.”_  
  
Rowena felt her feet getting sore as she continued walking up the stairs. “Man, how long is this thing?” She and everyone else had begun their ascent a few minutes ago, but it seemed like it would be forever until they reached the next floor.  
  
Marcellus’s reflection appeared on the surface of his Default Form’s crystal ball. “You’ll be okay.” He reassured her, crunching down on his lollipop and taking out the stick. He glanced at Tsuji, who stared forward vacantly and walked with almost mechanical steps. He was deep in thought, probably mulling over his failure on the previous floor. “Are you still thinking about that?”  
  
Tsuji sighed and shook his head. “I’m sorry, Marcellus. It’s just messing with my head.” He honestly felt horrible. He had a chance to save his captains and prevent all this extra trouble, yet he blew it. Tsuji ran a hand through his ink black hair and stopped walking. He tried to get it off his mind, but he was having a hard time doing it.   
  
“Hey.”  
  
Tsuji let his hand drop and looked to the side. Kim stood there, holding up the lantern to Tsuji’s face. “It’s ok, Tsuji. We all make mistakes. No need to beat yourself over it.” Jacqueline’s reflection appeared on it, and she gave him a warm and friendly smile. “I know you’re better than that. I’m sure you’ll wow us the next time you get a chance.”  
  
It wasn’t just Jacqueline who felt that way. Kim flashed him a V-for-victory finger sign; Caius, when he walked by, gave him a supportive pat on his shoulder; and Tsuji already knew how Rowena, Marcellus, and Nayumi felt. The support of his friends and family touched him. His failure seemed less significant now that he got some reassurance. Tsuji looked at Jacqueline and smirked – a sign that he was back in action. “My next bull’s-eye is dedicated to you.”   
  
Marcellus closed his eyes, put a fresh lollipop in his mouth, and smiled gratefully. _“Finally.”_  
  
“We made it!”  
  
At the sound of Maka’s voice, everyone at the back of the pack hurried up the rest of stairwell. There was an opening that led them to a considerably well-lit room. On the other side were five very large doors with the faces of snakes on them. Above them, Krysa stood on a balcony made of black iron vectors.  
  
Krysa leaned against the frame, staring down at them as if they were peasants. “Welcome, children, to the second floor.”  
  
Rowena shivered at her emotionless voice. It didn’t sound natural at all. “I always wanted to be in a video game, but this is ridiculous.”   
  
Kid took a step forward and pointed at the woman. “You know why we’re here, Krysa! You have something that belongs to us!”  
  
“You can certainly get them back,” Krysa removed herself off the balcony’s frame and slowly waved her arm, gesturing to the five doors below her, “Provided that you get through my maze quickly enough.”  
  
“ _What_?!” The Meisters’ and the Demon Weapons’ outraged cries echoed up and down the monolith. Most of them threw out insults and death threats, but collectively, it came out as indistinct chatter. Humored, Medusa laughed. They sounded like immature little children right now, a pack of insignificant creatures.   
  
Krysa patiently waited until they were done before she spoke again. “The object is simple. Select a door, go through it, and try to get to the other side within the time limit. If you succeed, the cages with your captains shall be waiting for you. If you fail, then take the stairwell at the end to the next floor.”  
  
Harvar’s reflection appeared on the tip of his spear form as he stared hard at Krysa, trying to read her. “Tell me, how do we know the captains are safe and sound?”  
  
“I assure you, they are in one piece.” Krysa replied. Many of the group members had a hard time believing her. She snapped her fingers and, in a puff of black and purple smoke, a magical timer set at 20 minutes inscribed itself in the stone. “You will see how much time you have no matter where you are in the maze. Now, if there aren’t any more questions, let us-”  
  
“I have one.”  
  
All eyes fell on Crona, whose gaze remained affixed on Krysa. Crona wasn’t stupid, not by a longshot. Most of the things Krysa was doing was awfully similar to Medusa’s workings. “Are you by yourself, or are you working with someone?”   
  
Lips appeared at the base of Ragnarok’s sword form. “Or maybe _for_ someone, huh?”  
  
Medusa narrowed her eyes as they flashed a little in the dark room. To think, her failed experiment would be the first to see past the smoke and mirrors. Krysa stood there and stared at Crona and Ragnarok. This lack of response immediately raised everyone’s suspicions. Were they on to something? Finally, Krysa said something. “Complete the maze, and your question will be answered.” With not another word, she disappeared, and the clock started.   
  
Frustrated, Kilik stomped his foot on the ground and resisted the urge to punch the nearby wall. “Okay, so let me get this straight.” Once he got everyone’s attention, he pointed at the timer. “We have T-minus 20 minutes to pick a door and walk through a maze. And we have no clue what’s on the other side, or which is the right one.”  
  
Ox released a heavy sigh. “That sounds about it.”  
  
“Well, there’s no use standing around being emo about this!” Blackstar turned his back to everyone, locked eyes with the door he really wanted to pick, and grinned. “So, let’s get this thing started! I’m picking number one because who _doesn’t_ wanna be number one?”   
  
Maka reached out and grabbed Blackstar by the collar of his shirt before he could sprint off. “Hold it, Blackstar!” She held him slightly off the ground so that his feet, spinning so fast that they looked like wheels, couldn’t touch it. “We can’t jump to conclusions like that!”  
  
“Well, we need to do something,” Liz said impatiently, “I mean, she didn’t give us any clues, so we’re on our own.”  
  
“I know how we can be safe,” Tsubaki stated, “We’re supposed to just get to the end, right? Well, we have four good sensors – Maka, Kid, Marcellus, and Nayumi. We have Blackstar’s natural instincts, and we have Fire and Thunder’s Earth Shaman abilities.” She smiled as she looked around the entire group. “If we work together, we’ll get there in no time.”  
  
Soul nodded. “Sounds like a plan. Nice work, Tsubaki.” His reflection appeared on his scythe’s blade as he looked at the gauntlets on Kilik’s hands. “Fire, Thunder, you’re up.”  
  
“Ok!”  
  
Kilik got on his knees and placed his metal-clad hands on the ground. In the spiritual dimension of their weapon form, Fire and Thunder nodded to each other and held hands. They could feel the spirit of the Earth flow into them. Around them, everything was silent, but inside their minds, they heard many whispers, warning them of the dangers ahead in each door. Soon enough, the Pot Twins were told the best route to choose.   
  
“The Earth says pick number four.” The Pot Twins announced, pointing at the door in question, “It also says it’s a bit darker than the other ones.”  
  
“Good thing I have my handy-dandy, efficient lantern.” Kim said proudly, holding up her lantern with a cheeky grin.   
  
Jacqueline blushed in embarrassment. “Y-You make it sound like I’m meant to be a tool and not a Weapon!”   
  
“Uh, hel- _lo_!” Rowena called out from the other side of the room. She was in the process of opening the large room for everyone. “We still got a maze in our way and only 17 minutes and 31 seconds to get through it. Let’s haul ass, people!”  
  
Cautious but determined, the team headed through the door and down the corridor that awaited them. Maka’s and Kid’s Soul Perception alerted of them strong souls in the way, Marcellus’s Wavelength Sonar detected objects or creature the first two might have missed, Nayumi’s Wavelength Radiation uncovered their locations, Jacqueline’s fire kept the path bright, and Fire and Thunder used the Earth to help everyone avoid possible traps and dead-ends. ‘Teamwork makes the dream work’ as they say.  
  
And Medusa wasn’t happy.   
  
She underestimated the abilities of the group as a whole. She expected to see them running hopelessly around her maze, screaming in terror as her traps slowly broke down their will. She wanted them to work, not practically cruise through it. She considered stripping them of their skills right then and there, but she didn’t want to risk overloading her system. Medusa was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard footsteps. She looked over her shoulder and saw her minions entering her lair.   
  
“That’s that, Medusa.” Free announced as the Mizune Sisters hovered around him. He was back to wearing his old prison garbs. “It’s all in your hands now.”  
  
“Chichichi! The Mizune Sisters squeaked excitedly. They too were happy to drop the act.   
  
Eruka sat at a ledge, watching the students on the crystal ball. While Medusa had told her the basics of her plan, she never received the full details. Hoping she wouldn’t be overstepping boundaries, the frog witch asked, “Lady Medusa? What exactly are you planning?”  
  
Medusa spared no look to Eruka. She refrained from hissing when she saw the students avoid yet another trap. Taking a calming deep breath, Medusa finally answered her. “What I’m doing is weakening the Academy.”  
  
“Oh, really?” Free leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his bulky chest. “Because I don’t think that’s their whole army right there.”  
  
Medusa chuckled a little, sending chills down Eruka’s spine. “There’s much more to it than that, Free. Yes while Maka Albarn and her company certainly aren’t the Academy’s entire army, they seemed to be among their best and strongest. After all, why else would the Reaper put them at the forefront of everything? Why else would they of all people be the ones to fight us when we revived the Kishin?”  
  
“Okay...” Questioningly, Free walked over and gestured to the Ricardsens and Caius. “Explain them then. I’ve never seen them around at all.”  
  
“Oh, them?” Medusa lazily waved her hand, dismissing them as threats. “I wanted to stave off suspicion. I simply picked names out of a hat from my old records as a nurse, and they happened to come up. That way, Stein, the Reaper, or whoever couldn’t put the mission on hold.” After all, if Stein managed to figure out her identity and plan, she didn’t doubt he could dissect the mission specs and find her ulterior motives.   
  
The Mizune Sisters titled their heads in unison. “Chichichi?”  
  
“What’s with the setup, you ask?” Medusa grinned devilishly, glad someone asked her that. “Because fighting all of them at full strength would take too much effort. So, I created the ultimate Cursing Magic spell. I call this beauty Ouroboros.”  
  
“Ouroboros?” Free and Eruka chorused.   
  
Medusa nodded. “Yes.” She raised her hand up and, soon, vector snakes peeked out of every wall, the ceiling, and the floor. “This whole island is littered with my vector snakes. They cannot run nor can they hide. At my command, a vector snake will ‘bite’ one of them.” She tapped the crystal ball, zooming in on Tsuji and Caius. It showed the vector snakes wrapped around their legs, hidden by their pants, biting its own tail. “And the curse will take away whatever ability or personality trait that defines them as a fighter. That’s why they’re playing all these games. So I can see _what_ I need to take away.”  
  
“And I’m guessing Krysa and Atlas were just red herrings. To make sure the kids didn’t figure things out until it’s too late.” Free remarked, taking a seat.   
  
“Perceptive, Free.” No more questions asked, Medusa went back to studying the students’ progress. 12 minutes remained on the clock, and they were over halfway finished with the maze. She wasn’t going to let them get away scot-free. She needed to find something to take away from someone. No matter what.  
  
 _“I wonder if that foolish younger sister of mine is holding up her end of the deal.”_  
  


* * *

  
The trees stood still, the wind was calm, and it was so quiet in the school gardens one could hear a pin drop. It was the perfect place to train, to avoid any sort of distraction, to clear one’s mind.   
  
And that was precisely why Klemens was here.   
  
Klemens stood before several bare trees, holding his claymore up to his face with his eyes closed. His breath was even, and his concentration perfect. Sure, he had passed the field exam, but the thorough beat-down Justin Law gave him and his partners was quite the wake-up call. Being in the EAT Class required him to be at the top of his game, and he didn’t want to disappoint his parents back in Denmark.  
  
“Soul Resonance!”  
  
A blue aura of spiritual energy engulfed Klemens as he and Madeline increased their resonance rate, trying to produce more power. The wind around them whirled, and static appeared all over the claymore as they did their best keeping it up. They wanted their soul waves to reach maximum output, and so, they kept their minds completely focused on that goal.   
  
Soon enough, the cutting edges on Madeline’s claymore form detached. All soul energy rerouted to these blades, causing them to grow and split up into three, large, winglike blades on each side. Gritting his teeth to stay concentrated, Klemens rushed toward the bare trees. Once close enough, he slammed his foot into the ground and swung his weapon. The modified claymore struck the first tree with the blunt part, and the air pressure traveled from it to the others, bending the rest out of shape. Then, as Klemens finished his motions, the blades themselves took over, cleaving the weakened trees in half.   
  
“You did it, Klemmy!” Madeline shouted, clapping her excitedly and laughing. Klemens span around again, almost losing his balance, but he ultimately managed to get both of his feet under him. “I’m so proud of you, Klemens Nielsen!”  
  
The resonance deactivated, and Klemens took the time to examine what happened. When he first hit the tree, he felt resistance, but when he applied more force, everything else fell into place quite easily. He had to admit, the Soul Resonance turned out beautifully. The trees weren’t torn to splinters or unceremoniously broken apart. They were cut and knocked down cleanly, and that appealed to him. “Marvelous. I had my doubts, but it appears our training isn’t for naught.”  
  
“Well, whaddaya expect?” Madeline‘s reflection appeared on her weapon form. Her prideful grin never vanished. “Ya really gotta give Professor Matilda his props. I learned it all from him.”  
  
“I see.”  
  
Then, something went off in Madeline’s head. “Oh! Oh! Oh! We gotta name our Soul Resonance!” She cupped her chin and began saying her thoughts aloud. “It’s gotta be something cool, something elegant, something with a little ‘Booyah’ to it.” She snapped her fingers when something came to mind five seconds later. “That’s it! Our resonance will be called ‘Empty Sky Form!’”  
  
Klemens brought the claymore up to his face so that he could give her a wondering look. “Empty Sky Form? As poetic as that sounds, what’s the significance?”  
  
“None. Sounds hella awesome, though, huh?”  
  
Klemens sighed and shook his head. Madeline could be a handful sometimes. Then again, if Klemens were told months ago he was going to the Academy and his partner would be an Australian chick, he’d look at the person like she or he had grown several heads. Klemens had to admit, the whole experience was a little overwhelming. One moment, he was an unassuming baker in Denmark. The next, he was a Claymore Meister studying in one of the wackiest schools on the planet. _“But, it is an experience I shall embrace all the same.”_  
  
“I’m bored now,” Madeline declared. That was another thing Klemens found out quickly about Madeline – she got bored easily. “C’mon! Let’s try to make another Soul Resonance. Let’s keep the whole name theme goin’, k—”  
  
“Kill...”  
  
Chills ran down both Madeline’s and Klemens’s spines. The latter whipped around and witnessed several people trudging to him from the woods, lurched over. A strange growth surrounded their arms, ending in a blade reminiscent of a scorpion’s tail. Their eyes were lifeless and glassy, save for the one that was blue and pink.   
  
Klemens started to sweat nervously. He noticed all of these people were around his age of 17 or younger, so he guessed they were Academy students. So, why were they acting this why? The possessed students stopped before him, mumbling ‘kill’ over and over again. “Shame how just yesterday I provided a convincing argument as to why zombie apocalypses were never going to happen.”  
  
Madeline saw one of the students at the frontline twitch. “Here they come!”  
  
Klemens brought up the claymore to block the quick jab of the student’s blade. He then lifted his leg and rammed his foot into the student’s gut, sending him away. The rest charged at different angles and paths, mumbling the word ‘kill’ like a mantra. Klemens kept his ears peeled, listening for the shuffling of feet and muttering of ‘kill.’ He did _not_ want to be on the receiving end of those daggers. He heard rapid footsteps behind him and quickly turned around, slamming the shaft into the attacker’s face.  
  
Madeline caught the sight of three students falling from the sky. “Up high!”   
  
Klemens looked up and swung the claymore, metal on metal clashing loudly. The trio of attacks continued to add pressure as their feet hit the ground. “Kill...” muttered Vincent, Autumn, and Damon – cold and unfeeling like robots. Hearing more students coming, Klemens withdrew from the clash, rolling off to the side to avoid several jabs.  
  
Madeline looked left and right constantly, finally noticing the sheer number of people assaulting them. “Oh, bullocks, Klemmy, they’re multiplyin’ like rabbits!” She swallowed thickly, concerned for herself and Klemens. She wasn’t sure they were prepared to handle a large group like this.   
  
“Well, then I suppose we have but one option.” Klemens stated as he unconsciously took steps back, holding up the claymore in a defensive stance. Led by the possessed Vanderbilts, the students ceaselessly limped his way. “You called it ‘Empty Sky Form,’ correct?”  
  
The skies turned red, the once calm streets filled with panic, and Death City found itself in a state of emergency. Everywhere, a student from NOT Class targeted someone, trying to kill somebody or turn him or her into a mindless slave. Officials tried to keep innocents safe and deal with the problem, but the screaming and fighting never stopped.   
  
And Shaula Gorgon loved every second of it.   
  
Inside a spire in downtown Death City, she witnessed several of her Traitors tackling a hapless young man. She reared her head back when she heard the music that was his cries for mercy. Inhaling and exhaling through her nose, she let the ecstasy die down. “Magnificent.”  
  
Her plan went accordingly, and her poison worked wonders. She had an army of mindless killing machines at her disposal, and she had singlehandedly put the hub of the DWMA into a state of disarray. It made Shaula feel good about herself. However, there was something that ultimately made her achievement bittersweet. She had an alliance with Medusa.   
  
Shaula scoffed. “She calls herself helping me.” Even now, the scorpion witch tried to understand why she agreed to this partnership. Shaula vicariously watched the chaos reign through her Traitors, and she smirked in delight. Seeing the fruits of her labor lifted her mood. “Well, regardless, I’m still going to show why _I_ am the most superior of the Gorgons.”  
  
As soon as Shaula finished here, she was going to pay Medusa a visit at Cobra Island with her army. How ironic that she was going to meet her end at the very place she was born. Shaula’s smirk widened at the prospect. She could see it now – Medusa getting impaled and eviscerated by her scorpions. She didn’t expect her to grovel and beg. Knowing Medusa, she would probably say some drivel meant to save face and spite her. After she perished, Shaula planned to hunt for Arachne too.   
  
_“She’s the one related to the Heretic Witch. Stay away from her.”_  
  
“I’m sorry to say this, but you’re the last of your class. The Academy’s at fault.”  
  
“It’s hunt or be hunted for Witches.”  
  
Shaula reached over, embraced Meme, her best experiment, and stroked her short hair lovingly. To that, the girl responded with a monotonous ‘kill,’ and Shaula giggled in excitement. “And hunt, I shall.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I’m aware Shaula’s attack canonically happens at the Death Festival, which is on Halloween. In hindsight, I wrote myself into a corner when I made Chapter 12 (that’s what I get for writing it before the NOT anime or manga finished). So please forgive the error.


	26. Worse and Worse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fight against Shaula escalates, the two sides fighting for dominance. Meanwhile, the labyrinth in Cobra Island has a trick up its sleeve to make sure Maka and company don't succeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.
> 
> Author Notes: Before anything gets said, I’m sure most of you have noticed all of the OCs appearing bit-by-bit in the most random of places. Well, that’s because a lot of them do have planned roles, especially in later arcs involving the school itself. I’m introducing and describing them wherever I can so I don’t have to dump info on you guys when the time comes. Just bear with me.

**Worse and Worse**  
  
“Kill each other!”  
  
Shaula’s enraptured voice echoed in the clouded minds of each poisoned student, compelling them to keep fighting, to get back up no matter how many times they fell. The Traitors and possessed NOT students attacked every EAT student and faculty member in sight. She gave the order, so it was time to fulfill it.  
  
“Color the town red with your blood and blot out ‘order’ with ‘madness!’”  
  
Nobody was safe. Doors were kicked down, and walls were torn apart. Chaos and disorder reigned from the center of Death City to the outskirts.   
  
“No one will be allowed to sleep. Thus, the curtain falls, only to rise again to a new age.”  
  
The corners of Shaula’s lips curled upward. Exhilaration, happiness, accomplishment, and pride; that’s all she felt. Ever since she began, she had to smile or laugh. With every passing second, she gained a new soldier to her army. Nothing could ruin this. “I’ve won.” Shaula said to herself with a rasp, licking her lips.  
  
“Meme!”  
  
And just like that, her smile faded. Looking down, Shaula spotted Tsugumi and Anya, the two brats Meme associated with the most throughout her stay at the DWMA. The scorpion witch rolled her eyes. _“Just when I was enjoying myself.”_ The two looked up to her with unshakeable determination and spunk despite being mere ants compared to her. So audacious that Shaula had to grin mockingly at them. “You know, I hadn’t expected you to find us here.”  
  
Anya narrowed her eyes, disgusted by the sight of her. “So you must be Shaula.” This was the woman behind the Traitors and the incident with Eternal Feather. Now face-to-face with her, Anya felt like vomiting. What a vile woman.  
  
Tsugumi saw Meme behind Shaula, who stared at them vacantly. “Give Meme back, you!”  
  
Shaula chuckled. “How delightful.” She wanted to torment these two, to play with them. Since Meme was with them most of the time, Shaula had an idea of what made them tick. “You want me to let her join you now?” With a quick hand, she possessively seized Meme’s face and licked her cheek, marking her as her territory. “I heard you’re having partnership troubles, little Tsugumi.”  
  
Tsugumi turned pale in her face. “H-How did you know about that?” Her stomach churned; this witch knew about something personal. Tsugumi couldn’t fathom what else Shaula knew. That made this encounter all the more dangerous.  
  
Anya, on the other hand, didn’t dwell on something so trivial. Shaula had her hands on Meme like she owned her, and that made Anya’s blood boil. “ _Don’t touch her_!”  
  
Two amusing responses. This was almost like an experiment, playing with these frail humans’ emotions. “Shall I decide for you?” Tsugumi looked at Shaula in confusion, and she responded with simply raising her hand to her own neck. Automatically, Meme mimicked the motion, placing the scorpion blade right where the jugular was. “I can make the choice easier if I eliminate one of your options now.”  
  
Spikes of fear struck Tsugumi right in her heart, forcing her to speak on impulse. “ _No_! STOP!”  
  
This was too easy, Shaula thought. “You’re _hilarious_.” She said, a scornful laugh lacing her voice. “You don’t realize the more friends you have, the more weaknesses you have. Didn’t you learn that back at the Death Bazaar?” To Shaula, the way Tsugumi fainted at the attempted suicide was positively delicious. “If you just give up your emotions, you can be free.”  
  
“Don’t listen to her!”  
  
Shaula whipped around to see Akane leaping at her, his longsword at the ready. She and Meme quickly jumped out of the steeple as Akane swung, leaving a slash mark on the stone. Shaula and Meme landed on the courtyard where Tsugumi and Anya were, Akane shortly following.   
  
As Tsugumi looked on in surprise, Anya grinned. “So it appears I did get through that thick skull of yours.”  
  
Akane spared his own grin. Then, he focused completely at Shaula, frowning at her smug demeanor. “Shaula Gorgon, today you pay once and for all.”  
  
Clay’s reflection appeared on the blade of the longsword. “And don’t think we’ve forgotten what happened to Sid.”  
  
“Oh, yes.” Shaula chuckled as she cupped her chin, smirking devilishly at them, “I heard he’s now living the life of a zombie. What a pity; you should have left him dead.” Oh, how she loved seeing the normally cool Akane twitch in anger. Unfortunately, the time for games was over. These people posed a threat to her and her plan, so it was time to get rid of them. “Meme, darling, why don’t you go kill your friends? I’ll deal with him.”  
  
Meme staggered toward Tsugumi and Anya. “Kill them.”   
  
Instinctively, Anya stepped in front of her Weapon candidate. “Tsugumi, get ready to use it.”  
  
“Okay.” The dark-haired girl clutched the antidote, holding it near her heart. It held the hope to save her friend, to wrest her away from Shaula’s control. The girl steeled her resolve, looking at her possessed friend dead in her glassy eyes. “We’re gonna save you now, Meme.”  
  
Now that they were preoccupied, Shaula gave her full undivided attention to Akane. “All right. Now, why don’t you show me those killer moves I was denied a while back?”  
  
“If you insist.” Akane sprinted at her and swung his longsword. In response, Shaula lashed out her hair, parrying his sword. The Meister then geared his arm back and jabbed the sword forward, but she simply jumped away to avoid it. “Hold it right there!” Akane channeled his wavelength into his free hand and slammed it on the ground. “Soul Force!” The ground broke apart as the wavelength travelled toward Shaula. Eyes widening a little, the witch put her arms in front of her face as the shockwave struck her. A shriek of pain escaped her as she was sent skidding backwards.   
  
Akane straightened up as he pointed his longsword in her direction. “Don’t underestimate the DWMA.”  
  
Shaula wiped the blood dribbling out of her mouth with her sleeve. “That’s cute,” she taunted, getting back up to her feet and brushing dust and rubble off of her outfit, “It’s hard not to when it’s currently being slaughtered by my loyal servants.”  
  
“That’s because you aren’t aware of the many powerful people in it,” Clay replied defiantly, “You’ve only been exposed to a certain number. You’re good at math, aren’t you? Multiply that hundredfold!”  
  
“In other words, Shaula Gorgon...” Akane’s Star Clan eye gleamed as he charged at her once again. “You _aren’t_ going to win!”  
  


* * *

  
Traitors and possessed NOT-Class students swarmed the Boys’ Dorm, trying to break down the doors and attack the defenseless people inside. In the foyer, a 17-year-old young man with burgundy, crewcut hair stood on the other side, uneasily watching the door with green eyes. He wore a white cotton tee with black sleeves. On it was the image of a skull with eyes, spikes as a mohawk, and arms crossed with the writing of ‘REBEL’ on the bottom. He also had on black shorts with a chain belt, black combat boots, black and steel silver brow jewelry, black earskin plugs, and a steel ball labret.  
  
Every time he heard the bangs on the door, sweat fell down his face. He clenched his Weapon – a blue and white spear – tightly as he instinctively took a step back when someone stabbed through the wooden door. “Marvin, calm down.” Andy said as his image appeared on the blue crystal that held his steel blade. “Look, we gotta defend our turf, okay? We’ve been doing good so far.”  
  
“Yeah, when we had help!” Marvin contended, running his hands along the blue and silver pole of the spear. “Now, it’s just us, and they came back!” A surprised scream escaped Marvin when he heard the metal lock clatter against the floor. “Oh God, here they come!”  
  
Marvin expected them to come charging in like men in the military. Instead, the bodies came flying in as the doors burst open. “What’s going on?!” Andy shouted, eyeing the open entrance carefully. Nobody was attacking him and his partner. Just then, someone casually stepped in, walking all over the bodies without a care in the world.   
  
“I can see why they’re NOT students. They’re pretty weak even when acting like zombies.” Jarrett said as he kicked a person out of the way. On his hands were two black gloves, each one sporting three large curved, stainless steel blades.  
  
“Jarrett!” Marvin exclaimed, shoulders slumping in relief. He looked behind his classmate and saw nothing but unconscious bodies lying about. “Dang, man, you cleaned house!”  
  
Jarrett lazily glanced around the area and yawned. “Yeah, I guess I did.” He then heard someone mumbling ‘kill’ and looked to see a few of them getting back up. A malicious smirk appeared on Jarrett’s face. He approached them and slashed them across their torsos with his clawblades. Blood splattering the floor, they fell right back down. “Don’t get up anymore.”  
  
Marvin turned pale at the sight. “ _Dude_! That coulda killed them!”  
  
Jarrett directed a sneer at Marvin. “The cuts are shallow. Gimme a break.” He touched his clawblades together as they glowed, allowing Darrel to revert to his human form. “We gotta do whatever it takes to survive, and if it means hurting a few people, then so be it.”  
  
“Jarrett, you got issues.” Andy said candidly.   
  
“No, I’ll tell you who’s got issues.” Jarrett deadpanned as he watched Darrel slice off some of the organic stingers on the people’s arms and put them in a Ziplock bag. “It’s Darrel for going around collecting this stuff!”  
  
“I’m curious!” Darrel replied back defensively, sealing the bag with a total of 15 stingers. “I want to take these samples back to the chemistry lab and examine them! This is the kind of stuff chemists do!”  
  
“Both of ya’ll got issues.” Marvin and Andy mumbled under their breaths, shaking their heads.   
  
Elsewhere, forces tried their hardest to fight back enemies near the train station. The last thing they needed was Shaula’s pawns taking control of transportation and fighting defenseless people on board the trains. Inside a terminal, Meredith confronted a pack of Traitors and students. Surrounded, the Olmett caught someone lunging at her, and she raised her chain to stop a scorpion blade with its chain link and threw the possessed person away.   
  
“Meredith, what are you doing?” Luther questioned, watching as the pack slowly approached them, “All you’re doing is throwing them back! Knock them out! Use Soul Fist! _Something_!” She was wasting energy simply dodging and blocking, not attacking with her full strength.   
  
Meredith swallowed thickly, taking a few steps back as she looked around. Students like her, classmates and friends even, reduced to mindless servants unable to say more than a single word. It was heartbreaking to her. “B-but I can’t. They’re people like me. I don’t want to hurt them,” she said softly, sweat rolling down her face. They weren’t enemies, they were innocent people. They didn’t deserve the full force of her fury. Every time her conscience beckoned her to activate Soul Fist and go all-out, Meredith’s honor and her respect for the DWMA and its people forced her not to.   
  
Three more came at her, and Meredith quickly wrapped the chain around her fist, using it to block their stingers. Meredith backpedaled to keep her distance and almost fell over a ledge. Steadying herself, she looked over her shoulder to see the railway tunnel. “Shoot, I’m cornered.” She looked forward and swallowed thickly at the number of enemies.   
  
Then, she felt a stab in her hip.  
  
Eyes dilating, Meredith slowly looked down to see the same person she threw away earlier around her leg. He removed his blade, and the Olmett already felt lightheaded. The poison worked at light-speed. Her brother’s cries of concern sounded distant, and the room started to spin. She stumbled forward a little before collapsing and going unconscious.  
  
The chain around her arm glowed as Luther returned to normal. Sweating, he looked down to his sister and gritted his teeth. “Why didn’t you attack? Now look what happened.” Part of him was very disappointed in Meredith for not defending herself, but his love for her superseded all of that. In a matter of time, she would become one of them, and he didn’t want to be around to witness it.   
  
Which led to another issue. All of the mind-controlled students and murderous Traitors set their sights on him now that Meredith was incapacitated.  Luther narrowed his eyes, his blood boiling with hatred. “Don’t expect any mercy from me, you weak-willed pieces of garbage.”    
  
Just then, a lavender blur zoomed by. In one second, the first line of students and Traitors were knocked out. In the next, the number of enemies were again cut down. Luther spotted the man responsible. He was Korean with long, raven hair tied in a ponytail and narrow, copper eyes. He wore a white shirt under a black uniform coat with LD’s symbol on the left breast pocket with a black tie, pants, and shoes. He sneered in disgust at the site of his downed enemies. “Pathetic.”  
  
“And whom might you be?” Luther asked, watching the others approach.  
  
“Hmph. If you must know in this time of crisis, it’s Il Sung.” The boy replied, holding up his ssangsudo. “I sincerely hope you can fight. Otherwise, you’re deadweight to me.”  
  
Luther felt a little insulted, but he didn’t show it. It was a common misconception for people to assume that Demon Weapons couldn’t fight on their own. “I am an Olmett and a Half Moon Class student.” To prove his point, he partially transformed his arm and whipped out his chain. It struck a Traitor that tried to attack Il Sung from behind. “So of course I can.”  
  
“It takes more than that to impress me,” Il Sung replied as he turned around and stood back-to-back with Luther, “Especially since I knew it was there.”  
  
...  
  
No matter how many were hurt, nobody suffered more than Lord Death himself. His precious students, faculty, and city residents were being harmed by the machinations of Shaula Gorgon. Many people questioned his dislike toward Witches. They never saw just how deplorable most of them acted, especially during the Grim Times and the Period of Destruction.  
  
“Lord Death!” He heard Sid’s voice call out from his mirror. “We’re finally gaining some leeway! The antidote’s working and less and less of Shaula’s forces are attacking!”  
  
“Excellent. Keep up the good work.” Lord Death replied. It was great to hear that; the quicker the innocents were saved, the better. In the midst of the chaos, he was sure that many people were cursing his name, claiming that he had abandoned them, and asking why wasn’t he out here helping. There was a perfectly good reason.   
  
“I’ll be out there soon, Shaula.” Lord Death waved his hand in front of his mirror, and the screen showed the location of his Death Scythes. Almost all of them were in Death City as per his orders. “ _Real_ soon.”  
  


* * *

  
  
Several bladed pendulums flew out from both sides of the corridor, trying to cut down everything in their path. Running down the hall, Maka and her friends expertly dodged them. They had survived the various traps and tricks the maze threw at them without injury, and they wanted to keep it that way. Deciding enough was enough, Rowena skidded in the path of a pendulum. Timing herself correctly, Rowena swung her sledgehammer. The collision made a resounding echo, and the pendulum was forced to a stop.  
  
“Yahoo!” Using Rowena’s shoulders as a springboard, Blackstar jumped up to the overhanging shaft of the pendulum and cut it in half. “All yours, Rowena!”  
  
“Thanks!” Rowena quickly let go of her sledgehammer and grabbed the pendulum. With a roar of exertion, she tossed the pendulum to the others in front. It slammed into one, which was driven into another, and so on. “Go, go, go!”  
  
Using that window of opportunity, the Academy students sprinted to the end of the hallway and successfully survived yet another trial. Once they felt they were out of harm’s way, they paused to catch their breath. “This is turning out significantly better than the one before us,” Kid remarked, glancing at the timer. They had just reached the 10-minute mark. He then looked at the gauntlets Kilik wore. “Anything else ahead, Fire, Thunder?”  
  
“Nope!” Thunder answered.   
  
“We can keep going,” Fire said, “We’re getting close to the end.”  
  
Kilik straightened up and started walking. “Good. Can’t wait to see the look on Krysa’s face when we beat this maze with time to spare.”  
  
“Speaking of her.” Rowena looked at Crona suspiciously. “Yo, Crona, Ragnarok, what were you two getting at back there?”  
  
All eyes fell on the symbiotic pair. Now that Rowena brought it up, they remembered Crona and Ragnarok’s accusations toward Krysa and her cryptic response. They must have discovered something that they themselves oversaw. Ragnarok heard Crona stutter, unsure of how to start, so he took matters into his own hands. The former Demon Sword eyed the group members one-by-one. He wanted to make sure they understood he was serious. “Me and Crona don’t think Krysa’s pulling the strings here. Call it a hunch, but it’s because we know this kind of environment.”  
  
“What do you mean?” Kim questioned, “All we’ve seen is just her and Atlas. So she’s gotta be the one responsible.”  
  
“When you guys fought those snakes, Ragnarok and I sensed something,” Crona said, feeling a chill. It had to be her eyes somewhere on this island watching their every move. “Something unmistakably familiar.”  
  
Maka mused over their words. What sort of environment could Ragnarok be referring to? Strange islands and dark dungeons were uncommon, but anything was possible in unfamiliar territory. Then, there was what Crona said. Some sensations and stimuli never went away when one was exposed to them enough times. So what was the cause? Maka pondered over everything experienced so far and recalled the hardships Crona and Ragnarok faced. Piece-by-piece, Maka put the puzzle together. When she did, her whole body froze and a gasp, one loud enough to echo down the corridor, escaped her.   
  
Everyone suddenly stopped, surprised by Maka. Ragnarok, on the other hand, was glad someone finally figured it out. “It’s hard to believe, but I think we just put ourselves in Medusa’s clutches.”  
  
Those privy to the situation reacted with shock and anger. She should be dead, but Crona and Ragnarok had no reason to lie. They should be able to recognize anything related to her. “But that can’t be!” Soul argued as his reflection appeared on the blade of his scythe, still in disbelief. “We saw Medusa disappear! There’s no way!”  
  
“Then I think she cheated death again.” Crona said simply.  
  
Blackstar punched the wall beside him, hard enough to leave an imprint in the stone. “Aw man! You mean to tell me she got the best of us _again_?!”  
  
Brains short-circuiting from the overflow of unfamiliar information, Tsuji and Rowena decided to establish some order so they could get up to speed. “Timeout!” They raised their hands to mimic the shape of the letter T. “Can we get a timeout on the field?”  
  
“Calm down, guys. You’re going way too fast for the rest of us.” Caius pled, rubbing the back of his head.   
  
“A lot of you may be aware of what’s going on, but some of us aren’t,” Marcellus stated, feeling his head ache for the same reasons as the Ricardsen Twins. He looked at Crona and continued, “Crona, I don’t think you ever told us back in the circle that Medusa died. I was under the assumption she was alive this whole time.”  
  
“Same here,” Rowena piped in. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have promised to punch her face in for what she did.  
  
Maka glimpsed at the timer and noticed it just passed the 9-minute mark. She believed they had time to discuss some things. “It’s complicated.” She explained to Caius, the twins, and their partners about the incident with Medusa and Stein that led to herself, Crona, and Marie tracking them down in the former’s lair. “-So I used one of my techniques, Majin Hunter, to get her out of Rachel’s body, and she vanished right then and there.”  
  
Tsuji raised an eyebrow. “No soul?” He saw Maka shake her head in response. “Meh. I would say that shoulda tipped ya off, but at the same time, I can understand she should be dead.”  
  
“Alright, so the reality is she’s alive,” Caius spoke up, planting his lance into the ground by its blunt end, “What kind of enemy are we really facing? Tell us straightforward.”  
  
“She’s extremely smart and deceptive. It’s like she has multiple fail-safes behind her main plan,” Kid answered.   
  
“She’s also pretty strong. She fought Professor Stein with Mr. Death Scythe at his side,” Tsubaki added in.  
  
“And last but not least,” Kim spoke up, leaning against the stone wall. “She tends to find out touchy or secret stuff and use it to her advantage, just like the snake she is. She’s the one who exposed me as a Witch, got BREW before either the Academy or Arachnophobia, and basically started the whole Baba Yaga operation.”  
  
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” Claudia groaned, feeling her stomach churn from unease.   
  
“And what’s this about the whole Baba Yaga operation?” Nayumi asked, idly playing with one of her hair loops, “Our first prerequisite mission got postponed because of it, and we never really got the full story.”  
  
“Basically, it was an organization-wide mission to stop Arachne and the Kishin,” Ox explained, “But we all had different parts in it. For example, I, Kid, and Kilik were assigned to retrieve Kim because Arachne used something called the Moral Manipulation Machine on her.”  
  
Caius sighed inaudibly, recalling the fights in the forests around the castle. The soreness and aches afterward lasted for days. “I spent most of the time fighting common foot soldiers with my squadron, so don’t ask me for anything substantial.” His expression then turned blank. “Well, that is until something decided to blitz through us and send us skyward. Never figured out what that was about.”  
  
“Yeah, I ain’t got much to say either.” Blackstar said, crossing his arms. “I was still in Japan when me and Tsubaki got the news. So, I got to the castle as fast as I could, tearing through everything in path! When I got there, I had to fight Mifune. But we rescued that little Angela girl he’s always with, and he works for us now.” He gave his trademark grin and thumbs-up. “Just another chapter to add to this future god’s book!”  
  
Claudia hung her head as Caius slapped his forehead with his palm. _“That explains everything.”_  
  
Maka checked the clock again and decided they wasted enough time standing around talking. “Ok, gang, let’s get back to work. We may know who we’re up against now, but that doesn’t make it anymore safer.”  
  
Everyone nodded, and they went right back to braving the labyrinth. As they did, Medusa watched them, trying to figure who to curse next. In this situation, it had to be someone that would cause their whole collaboration to fall apart. It also had to be a Meister because the snakes couldn’t attach to a Demon Weapon’s surface. Finally, she had to do it quick before they completed the maze. They would find out this ‘save-the-captains’ thing was a hoax and probably call for help.   
  
The Mizune Sisters looked at each other and then Medusa, the snake witch deep in concentration. She was usually calm and collected when it came to her machinations. Now, she was stressed out. She hadn’t blinked for the past few seconds, and her frown never disappeared. Just then, every single one of them hatched an idea. “Chichi. Chichi?”  
  
Medusa’s eyes widened in realization, her brain processing the weight of their suggestion. Then, her whole expression did a 180. “Attack the leader? Why, how diabolical of you, Mizune.” Yes, perfect. The leader of a group was the lynchpin. Without one, the followers would crumble, and morale would drop like a rock. Medusa set her sights on Maka and placed a single finger on her crystal ball. “Maka Albarn, I wonder how useful you’d be without your courage.”  
  
A vector snake emerged from the ground, waiting for its target. When Maka ran by, it dove into her shoe. She stumbled a little when she felt a biting sensation in her foot, but it lasted for the briefest of seconds. Even though she kept on going, Maka progressively slowed down. Before, she was focused on the task. Now, reality set in – a frighteningly dangerous foe had her in her clutches, free to do whatever atrocity she pleased, on her own playground. Eventually, the Scythe Meister came to a complete stop. Her whole body shook, and her green eyes shrunk as tears welled up in them.   
  
“Maka? Hey!” Soul barked out. Everyone was getting farther and farther away from her. “What’s wrong? Why’d you stop all of a sudden?”  
  
Maka slowly looked at him, shivering, and Soul blanched her at how freaked-out she appeared. “I...I can't do this. I can't go on! I’m s-s-scared! Medusa’s too powerful!”  
  
“W- _What_?!” Soul was unsettled by how normally fearless Maka was suddenly acting like a total coward. “Maka, have you lost your mind?! That’s out of the question!”  
  
Crona heard Soul’s incensed voice and looked behind to see they stopped “M-Maka?” Crona turned around and hurried over. This was enough to catch the attention of the others. “Are you OK?”  
  
Maka dropped Soul and ran up to Crona, grabbing her friend’s hands. “Crona, M-Medusa is your mom, right? Maybe you can talk her into letting us free! We don't have to fight her! We can all live!”  
  
Crona didn’t respond, instead staring at Maka like she had grown a second head. Soul returned to his human form. He too was at a complete loss for words. Ragnarok, however, was more than ready to speak. “Are you out of your freaking mind, Albarn?! You’re like a totally different person!”  
  
The loud commotion told the rest of the group all they needed to hear. Blackstar clenched his fists and stormed over. “Now there’s no way I’m kissing Medusa’s ass. The only thing I’m doing is _kicking it_!” He pushed Crona aside and grabbed Maka by her tie, forcing her to look him dead in his eyes. “Now, you listen to me. I don’t know if you’re secretly bipolar, but this won’t fly. You need to snap out of this ‘cause we’re going to face her, Krysa, or whoever whether you like it or not!”  
  
“Guys!” Liz’s voice caught everyone’s attention again, “We only got 5 minutes left! We need to hurry!”  
  
“Just drag her along, Blackstar,” Harvar ordered, “We’ll figure out what’s wrong at the end of this maze.”  
  
Medusa chuckled inside her mind and then chanted her mantra. _“Provided you’ll get there in time.”_ When she finished, she watched as the floor gave out beneath them. Before the Academy students knew it, they had fallen into a dark pit. _“And what a lovely sound their screams are.”_  
  
“Maka, hold on!” Soul grabbed his meister’s hand and transformed back into a scythe. His blade lodged itself into the wall, stopping both of them. Maka clung to the shaft of the scythe, still screaming her head off. Everyone else with polearms followed their example. Tsuji and Marcellus quickly used Mode Change to convert the latter into his Javelin Form to do so. Kid summoned Beelzebub and caught himself with it, and Kim and Jackie used Change “Pixie.” Tsubaki turned into the Enchanted Sword and manipulated the shadows to keep Blackstar and Kilik aloft near the wall.  
  
“Oh, wow, we fell for the oldest trap in the book,” Patty remarked, looking up to the space they had dropped through.  
  
“Never mind that!” Claude shouted, fear outlining her voice, “Look below!”  
  
The pit had an end, and it was in plain sight. Black and gold snakes littered the floor, slithering around like predators looking for any kind of food. Three skeletons lied there, and some of the snakes crawled out of the skulls’ nostrils and eyeholes, disappointed to see nothing else remained. Quite a few serpents looked up and saw the humans hanging over them for dear life. Their hisses were like a requiem, foretelling their doom should they fall and join them.    
  
“Snakes, snakes, _snaaaaakes_!” Rowena and Nayumi screamed, hearts racing at the speed of sound.   
  
“Oh, hell nah! _Hell no_! _Get me up_!” Tsuji yelled, his knuckles turning white as he held onto the javelin tightly.   
  
Eruka, Free, and the Mizune Sisters laughed triumphantly, delighting in their pain and suffering. Even the most hardened of the batch expressed distress. As excitement welled in her chest, Medusa soon joined her servants. The frustration she felt at the beginning of the maze level was long gone. The lowly child soldiers were in the palms of her hands once more, utterly powerless, with two more levels to go.  
  
She was in control.


	27. Brink of Hopelessness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maka and company reach the next level of Cobra Island, but more challenges await them during this grim hour. Can they keep going?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer:Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.

**Brink of Hopelessness**  
  
Soul and Kid finally managed to pull up a frantic Maka, making her the last person to be saved from the trapdoor. Many of the group members took the time to ease their racing hearts and get over their shock. It happened so quickly, and they were so close to losing their lives. A normal person would have fallen prey to that pit of snakes.   
  
Leaving Soul to check on Maka, Kid turned to face the rest of the pack. “Is everyone all right?”   
  
“Shaken, but not stirred,” Kilik responded, cracking his neck. To him, it was just another day on the job, another death trap avoided.   
  
“Well, now _I_ have the urge to punch Medusa in the face,” Blackstar declared, his black tattoos disappearing as Tsubaki turned to her chain-scythe mode.  
  
Still on edge, Kim checked the time, and her eyes shrunk. “Never mind that!” She pointed at it. “Look at the clock!”  
  
When everyone did, they all gasped in unison. They tried their best to avoid all the traps and tricks of the maze. They knew getting captured in just one spelled trouble, and it finally showed. The clock flashed red warningly as the time dropped to one minute.  
  
“Oh, that’s bullshit!” Tsuji and Rowena yelled out in frustration. They couldn’t believe getting out of that trapdoor took up so much time.    
  
“We gotta book it, guys, if we want to beat the timer!” Liz declared. She really wondered if the Meisters would get to the end in time. Freaks of nature they were, this task did seem almost impossible.  
  
“Noooo, it’s useless! I don’t wanna go ooooon!” Maka desperately tried to run the other way. Soul, however, kept a firm grip on her and managed to pick her up, preventing escape. She may be suddenly a coward right now, but Soul swore to fix that after they surmounted this obstacle.    
  
Not wasting any more precious seconds, everyone sprinted as fast as they could. “Hey, Wonder Twins!” Ragnarok barked out as Crona ran along, “Use that earth mumbo-jumbo of yours and help us out.”  
  
The minute Ragnarok said that, Medusa was struck with insight. _“Of course!”_ The whole reason the students managed to get this far was that Pot of Fire and Thunder used the Earth to warn them in advance. With that in mind, Medusa quickly formulated a way to circumvent this advantage. Her eyes gleaming slightly, she eyed Kilik. _“Perhaps if I take away his ability to synch wavelengths with them...”_  
  
“Turn left!” Pot of Fire cued. Following his directions, the group rounded a corner and were faced with a long straightaway. “The Earth says this is the end. Keep going!”  
  
“As long as one of us makes it there, we’re-” Out of nowhere, Kilik felt a sudden bite in his ankle, followed by several stings in his left arm and a burning sensation in his right. Screwing one of his eyes shut, Kilik tried to endure the sudden pain, believing it to be the kind that came out of nowhere after long work. However, it persisted. The stings grew sharper, and the burning intensified. Both of his arms grew numb in record time. "W-What's happening?!" Kilik immediately stopped running and threw the metal gloves down. Only then did the pain subside.  
  
"K-Kilik? Are you okay?" The Pot Twins asked. Once they looked at him more closely, they saw the telltale burn marks and discoloration, right where he wore them. "D-Did we do that?" Their lips quivered, and their weapon forms shook. That never happened for as long as they knew Kilik.  
  
Blackstar, ahead of the pack, grinned triumphantly when he saw the staircase and the flaming cages that he presumed still held the captains. "And with ten seconds left, _we_ win this time!" Right after he said that, two huge snakes burst out of the ground, baring their fangs. "Stay out of the way! I've got no time for you!" Before he made even one move, the snakes jumped, flying over him and everyone else. The snakes reached their targets, the Pot Twins. Before the children could become human, the serpents snatched them up.  
  
The cries of children made everyone stop and turn around.  
  
"Fire! Thunder! NO!" Kilik lunged forward, latching onto one of the snakes' neck. His fingers dug into the scaly skin, holding on for dear life. "Put 'em down, you bastards! They did nothing!" The snake threw itself into wall with a resounding bang, making a crater in the wall. Kilik screwed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth as pain racked his body. It was too much. It forced Kilik to release his hold. The boy's eyes widened when he heard his partners cry out again. He saw the snake jump up with his brethren and dive into the ground, their long bodies disappearing by the millisecond. "N-NO!"  
  
Before the Pot Twins vanished with the snakes, Rowena lunged forth and grabbed one of the tails while Crona used Screech Gamma to bite the tail of the other, stopping them both cold. " _You're not taking them_!" Rowena shouted, using every muscle in her body to keep the snake from moving. Crona wasn't budging either as Screech Gamma kept a tight hold. Ox and Caius followed up by leaping into the air and cutting off the very tips of the tails, freeing the Pot Twins. Blackstar subsequently caught the two gauntlets. The ground rumbled, and the snakes' heads erupted from it, their golden eyes giving piercing glares. Before they could strike, Kid unleashed salvos of gunshots while Kim spewed fire from her lantern. Both attacks hit and marred the snakes, destroying them little by little. By the time they were done, the heads had been completely eradicated, and the rest faded away.  
  
The metal gloves in Blackstar's arms glowed and the children finally returned to normal. "Kiliiik!" Fire and Thunder ran over to him and jumped into his arms, crying into his chest. Kilik hugged them tightly like a protective father, relieved they were safe again.  
  
Kid stared at them somberly, feeling bad that even the little ones were targets in this place. He looked forward and saw the timer flashing red, all digits having reached zero. The cages were gone too. “It goes without saying, but we failed again.”   
  
“What happened, you three?” Patty asked, troubled, “Kiri, aren’t you supposed to be, like, _the_ school’s Utility Meister?”  
  
Kilik assumed that to be her new pet name for him. He stood up, keeping the Pot Twins in his arms, and replied, “Who knows? All of a sudden, I felt something bite me. Then my arms started burning and junk. Didn’t stop until I took Fire and Thunder off.”  
  
“A rejection,” Soul said. He knew the occurrence all too well. After all, he was part of a rejection in two different situations. “But that’s just bizarre for someone like you.”  
  
“Seems like a lot of bizarre things have been going on lately,” Ox pointed out, resting his spear on one of his shoulders. “A creature steals Atlas’s soul, Krysa forces us to play games with her, Medusa’s all but explicitly confirmed to be alive, Tsuji doesn’t live up to his reputation, Maka’s personality performs a 180, and now Kilik and his partners apparently can’t synch wavelengths.” Ox adjusted his spectacles as a frown firmly placed itself on his face. “I don’t know about you guys, but there’s definitely something amiss. These can’t be coincidences.”  
  
Jacqueline sighed, her mood dropping like everyone else’s. “Well, nothing left to do but go to the next floor, right? Maybe we’ll get some answers?”  
  
Maka couldn’t bear the thought of continuing on. On this path, nothing but a bitter end awaited them. Shaking, she raised her voice to express her opinion. “No! Too many strange things are happening, and we could die here! _I can't take this anymore_! I'm getting out of here!” She turned around and ran off, going as fast as she could. Anything her friends said was ignored. All she could think about was finding a way to get off this island without facing Medusa's wrath.   
  
Just then, something stabbed into the end of her coat and pinned it to the ground. “No! No! Let me go! Let me go!” She screamed frantically, flailing around like a dying roach. Every time she tried to get up, she was pulled back to the ground. Eventually, the despair overcame her. She curled up into a ball and started crying.  
  
She then felt a pair of cold arms around her. She’d recognize them from anywhere. “It’s ok, Maka,” said Crona’s soothing voice. “I know how you feel. I used to be that way all of the time.” Crona gently pulled Maka up so that she was at least out of her fetal position. “You’re scared of everything, wondering what the next thing to hurt you is. You don’t know how to handle these things, so you wish something would happen to make it all stop or try to run off. We may not be able to explain why you’re like this, but I’m here to tell you it’s okay.”  
  
“C-Crona...” Maka croaked, beginning to calm down a little. “B-but...”  
  
“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you,” Crona said resolutely, tightening the hug a little. “Whatever happens, I’ll make sure you get back to normal. This time, I’ll... be strong. Because I know you would’ve done the same thing for me.” All of that was said from the heart. In fact, the whole situation was uncanny – long ago, it was Maka embracing a lonely and confused Crona. Now, a scared and frail Maka was being comforted by Crona of all people. “Th-this may be too much to ask for, but... show me your smile, please.”  
  
It was hard to. Maka had no reason _to_ smile, but for some reason, Crona’s simple request gave her a bit of strength. The corners of her mouth twitched upward into a small smile. Through the brokenness, Crona could tell it was that same, sweet, nice smile she always had.   
  
Crona smiled back. Maka wasn’t supposed to be a sniveling coward. She wasa beacon of hope, comfort, and friendship. “Thank you, Maka.” Crona removed Ragnarok from the ground, freeing Maka. “Come on, everyone’s waiting.”  
  
The girl nodded and started walking back. Crona, however, stayed behind, watching her go. Once she was out of hearing range, Ragnarok spoke up, “You know, that’s a bold statement you made, saying you’ll protect her with that mother of yours around.” Crona sighed, giving no response. Ragnarok took that as a sign to keep talking, “I’m not gonna lie. I was scared of her back then, I still am now. I don’t even know if we got a chance.”  
  
“I couldn’t handle her last time,” Crona admitted, “I was scared too. I couldn’t think straight because I knew it was mother we were fighting. I didn’t see her entirely as an enemy, and I couldn’t fight her like I know I could’ve.”  
  
“So what makes now any different?” Ragnarok argued. As brash as he was, he knew fear and danger when he saw it. Medusa seemed to be made of both qualities.   
  
Crona looked down to the sword with a titled head. “Well, _are_ you still scared of her?”  
  
“Are _you_?”  
  
Crona said nothing. Things were different back then, but at the same time, they weren’t. Crona experienced true friendship and camaraderie since being with the Academy, but that didn’t change the fact Medusa used her blood in the creation. Crona wasn’t ready to give an answer. The swordsman looked down at the sword again and gave a lopsided smile. “I asked you first.”   
  
Ragnarok clicked his tongue, finding such a response to be a personal insult to his pride. “How ‘bout you get your ass to the next level with everyone else? We’ll talk later.”  
  
Crona caught up to the gang, and all of them were in the middle of walking up the staircase. This time, instead of a spiral stairwell, it was a normal one, much like the one back at home. The group didn’t say much, the only noise between them being their footsteps.   
  
“K-Kilik? What are we going to do?” Pot of Thunder asked in a soft tone, still snuggling close to his chest. A rejection out of nowhere was something none of the three were prepared for.  
  
“I know what I’m _not_ gonna do,” Kilik replied, exchanging hardened looks to both of his child partners, “And that’s let you two get hurt. It may be tough watching both of your backs in a place like this, but that doesn’t matter to me.”  
  
“Y’know, there is a simpler solution.” When Rowena stepped up beside Kilik, she reached out with one hand, gently grabbed Fire, and placed him upon her own shoulders. It looked like the position Kilik usually saw Angela in with Mr. Mifune. “And that’s ask for my help.”  
  
Nayumi let one of her hands protrude out of her weapon form’s shaft, tickling Fire’s head. “We don’t mind. We’ll keep this cutie safe.” The boy responded with a blush and a giggle, embarrassed by the attention Nayumi gave him.   
  
“And, if Rowena fails, you know I have your back,” Kim announced, looking at her teammate and friend over her shoulder.   
  
“Thank, guys, you’re the best.”  
  
Shortly, the gang reached the third level. It was a wide-open area like the first room, and a platform occupied most of the space. The platform was divided into four sections by walls. Cut into the stone was a system of sinuous pathways. Torches lined the room’s walls, making it the most lit-up one yet. The group stood on a significantly smaller platform on one end.   
  
Faraway on the other side of the room stood Krysa on another balcony. “You were so close, yet so far.” Her emotionless voice carried over in echoes.   
  
“Don’t remind us please,” Marcellus requested, rolling his eyes. He hated it when someone stated the obvious.  
  
Kid stepped up, making sure to sound as polite as possible. “Before you inevitably force us into another demented game, I’d like to expound on what Crona brought forth before the maze.” He stared at the woman and finally asked the million-dollar question. “Are you a pawn of Witch Medusa Gorgon? Be honest.”  
  
Krysa remained silent; however, Medusa knew the jig was up. She figured it would come to this once Crona and Ragnarok deduced her existence. No matter, this changed nothing. “Go.” Upon her command, the red snake from before slithered up Krysa’s body, bared its fangs, and bit her on the neck. While she didn’t flinch, Krysa’s eyes glazed over, relinquishing control to Medusa. “Hmph. I see you brats aren’t as daft as I thought.”   
  
Medusa was now speaking vicariously through Krysa. The gang could recognize that manner of speaking anywhere. Now that it was her for certain, Soul had no more reason to keep his tongue. “What are you doing here, you witch?! Why aren’t you dead?!”  
  
“And what do you want with us?” Harvar demanded, his weapon sparking with static electricity.   
  
“My, my, so impatient.” The snake witch chuckled sinisterly. “Well, I suppose I should humor you. True, Majin Hunter should have killed me, but I had the wherewithal to split my soul again. Sure, it require me to start back from scratch, but as you can see, I’m fine. Don’t worry, my new body is some nobody from the slums that no cared about.”  
  
“You know what, gimme Krysa back. I already don’t like you,” Rowena declared. From just anecdotes and that one answer, Rowena already fostered the same amount of hatred for Medusa as the Kid, Soul, and the others.  
  
“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about likes and dislikes,” Medusa replied condescendingly, “They’re irrelevant when you’re good and dead. In fact, by time we’re done here, you won’t have to worry about a single thing anymore.”  
  
“I believe Harvar asked you a more relevant question,” Kid interjected, glaring darkly at her. She was avoiding the issue, probably just to infuriate them more, “Why are we here? What’s the whole point of these games? And where are our captains?”  
  
“Shouldn’t one of those questions be obvious now?” Medusa retorted. She guessed the frustration inhibited their cognitive skills. “This whole trip to Cobra Island and mission to kill Atlas was meant to put you in my clutches far away from the safety of your homes. Like Krysa, Atlas was a pawn. Oh, and your so-called ‘captains’ are actually my allies, sitting up here in my chamber with me.”  
  
“O-O-Oh man...” Maka trembled, and she seized both Soul’s and Crona’s arms for emotional support, “Sh-She’s been using us this entire time. P-Playing us like musical instruments!”  
  
“That’s really low, even for you!” Liz spat.   
  
Claudia felt her face burning with anger, but she suppressed the many sharp-tongued insults she had in mind. _“My goodness, she’s worse than Gertrude and my cousin Seraphine.”_  
  
Tsuji smacked his teeth. He wasn’t going to fall for her taunting so easily. Luckily, he was a master at the art of backtalk. “I guess you ain’t got the guts to face us yourself, so you made some elaborate plan or whatever.” Tsuji stabbed his javelin into the ground and started clapping his hands sarcastically. “Well, congrats, Medusa! You’re both a snake _and_ a coward!”  
  
“You’re in no position to be giving me lip, Ricardsen,” Medusa responded sharply. Even though Krysa couldn’t show it, a baleful smirk appeared on the Gorgon’s face. “Especially when I have stripped you of your precious aim.”  
  
Tsuji stopped mid-clap, his face now completely blank. Two seconds later, he shook his head to regain his composure. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, you wanna run that by me again?”  
  
Medusa feigned a shock gasp, like a children who spoke of a deep, dark secret. “Oops. Did I say that?” She let out an amused laugh, finding so much enjoyment in toying with these child soldiers. “Fine. I shall ‘run that by you’ again. I’ll even spell it out for you: I used a curse to take away your aim. You no longer can call yourself a marksman.”  
  
Tsuji’s eyes shrunk to the point one could no longer see his chartreuse irises. But, with a shake of his head, he regained his composure, grinning confidently. “You know what? I think you’re full of shit. And, to show you,” He pulled his bowstring back and an arrow formed. He was taking aim at Krysa. “I’m going to skim that chick’s right quad. It won’t be a direct hit, just a teeny cut to show how good I am.”   
  
Medusa chuckled. “Oh, to be young and foolish. Fine then. Impress me.”  
  
Tsuji fired, but the arrow hit an object mere yards in front of him and ricocheted back. “Whoa!” Tsuji twisted his body to avoid it. Kid, who was behind him, reflexively ducked underneath while covering his head.   
  
Surprised, Liz looked back to see the arrow lodged into the wall. “I sure hope that was a practice shot, Tsuji!”   
  
“It was!” He insisted, gritting his teeth and readying himself once more. This time, his shot at least travelled all the way to Krysa’s location, but he missed her body by a long shot. His began to lose color. Even though he perfectly took aim, the actual act wouldn’t take place. “Th-third time’s… the charm?” He halfheartedly prepared himself, but his hands were trembling as harsh reality smacked him in the face. Medusa honestly wished she had a camera to capture Tsuji’s look of despair. The boy let the arrow slip out as he fell to his knees. “Y-..Y-y-you...” His words came out as whispers, a far cry from his usual assertive self. “I-.. I did nothing to you..” Tsuji’s aim was something he put his body and soul into. It defined him as a fighter. It was something he worked on every day since his mother bought him a bow at age 5. In one fell swoop, she took it away from him – years of hard work and dedication gone in a single second.   
  
“Oh, don’t feel too bad!” As much as Medusa wanted to see the impending freak-out, she was on a tight schedule. “You aren’t the only one who is completely useless. Maka Albarn is even scared of her own shadow without her courage, Kirikou can’t use his Pots without his ability to synch wavelengths with them, and that Vladingham in the back is nothing special without his Soul Blaze.”   
  
Caius’s body jerked backwards as if Medusa’s words physically struck him. “My- No way.” He snapped his fingers, producing a spark of his soul wavelength, but nothing else happened. Like a dead lighter, the telltale flames never brewed. “You really did.”   
  
“Why did you bring Fire and Thunder into this? They’re just kids!” Kilik shouted, tightening his hug on Thunder. He could have lived with the rejection, but Medusa had snakes try to kidnap them out of spite. That he could not forgive.   
  
“You lowborn scum!” Claudia cried out at the top of her voice. How dare Medusa to do that to Caius, Maka, and the others. She no longer could contain herself, high-class training be damned. “You mewling quim! You hussy! You—!”  
  
“Now, now, name-calling is so childish. Let’s be mature, reasonable adults,” Medusa responded, unfazed by all the death-glares and insults thrown her way. “Soon enough, you all will be stripped of something. Weakened to the point the weakest snake in my body could effortlessly kill you. Most of you have been thorns in my side for the longest. It’s time to get rid of you. I’m using you brats as an example to demoralize the Academy. Your fellow child soldiers will stop fighting, your friends and family will lash out in blind rage. It’ll be destroyed little-by-little! And I’ll have a front-row seat to the chaos.”    
  
A loud, metallic slam shook the room, and everyone whipped around to see that an iron wall now stood behind them. “And there is no escape,” Medusa announced with finality. Gasps and growls were heard from the group. Medusa did it, something so vile it was beyond normal imagination. “If it’s any consolation, you have only this and the next game left before you pay me a visit. But do realize that I control rules and can change them whenever I want.”  
  
With that, Medusa willed the red snake to let go of Krysa. The creature gave the Meisters and Weapons a mocking wave goodbye with its tail before slithering away. Krysa, now back in control, simply stared at them and said, “Now, for your next task.” The gang was silent, powerless. They couldn’t be mad at Krysa anymore; she was a pawn in this sick, twisted game Medusa had them all in. All they could do was let her talk. “Before you is a giant puzzle divided into sections by a series of walls. You must carefully move two boulders into specific spots in order to tear down a wall and keep going until you reach the end. Nothing more, nothing less.”  
  
“Are you absolutely sure?” Marcellus questioned. There had to be some stipulation to prevent them from winning. However, he received a slow, confirmatory nod. “Well, it sounds simple, but we’ll see. Hey, Tsuji, pick me up so we can get started.” The boy in question made no movement. “Tsuji?” Marcellus’s reflection appeared on the crystal ball, looking at him. Tsuji remained in the same spot, staring out into space with that same look of despair as before. “H-Hey! Tsuji!” Nothing again. _“Oh, God, this is even worse than when he messed up on the first level.”_  
  
Kid set all of his attention on the archer. While most Meister and Weapons were prepared for any kind of mission, he heard stories of rookies returning from missions and developing PTSD or something similar. Causes ranged from near-death experiences to witnessing gruesome crimes committed by Kishin Eggs and Evil Humans. Kid walked over to Tsuji and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Are you still with us?”  
  
Rising to his feet, Tsuji slowly, like a dying machine, turned his head to Kid. “W-Why didn’t you guys tell me this kind of stuff could happen?” Nothing could have prepared him for this. Tsuji thought the Academy was all about going to school, killing monsters, slaying witches, and whatnot. Never did he think there was someone who could actually take away abstract concepts and subject others to glorified torture. And _revel_ in it.  
  
“This is the exception, not the norm,” Kid replied, tightening his grip.   
  
“D-Dude, th-this chick can take away anything from us.” Tsuji said in a shaky voice, taking steps backwards. “This ain’t right... I-I-I didn’t sign up for crazy shit like this! We all could die here!”  
  
Kid stepped forward, grabbed both of his shoulders, and forced Tsuji to look him directly in his eyes. “Come on, stay with us! Snap out of it, Tsuji! You’re better than this!” The Reaper understood that the archer was not in the right state of mind, only saying things in the heat of the moment. He could see it in his eyes – internally, Tsuji was experiencing a massive freak-out.  
  
“Yeah, bro, get ahold of yourself. We’re still in this!” Rowena said supportively. They had to stay optimistic. If they let Medusa intimidate them, this really would be their last mission.   
  
“Th-That’s easy for you to say!” A frightened Maka whimpered, hiding behind Crona when Rowena looked her way. “I-It’s called common sense, people! This is starting to get out of hand! You see how pathetic Tsuji and I am! What good are all of us going to be when we're powerless facing a full-powered Medusa and her lackeys?”   
  
Tsuji’s hands started to shake as the weight of Maka’s words fell upon him. “We’re screwed, man...”   
  
“It’s not like we can run away,” Blackstar spoke up, trying to be sensible, as he stepped into the middle of the group so that everyone could hear him. “Even if we could, we still wouldn’t! We’re not a bunch of quitters. Some of us have gone through Hell and back, and we’re still here!”  
  
“Blackstar’s right. We can do this,” Kid added in, standing beside the Shadow Weapon Meister, “We suffer together, we grow together, and we _be_ together. We move forward and cover each other’s weaknesses. One’s fight is everyone’s fight! We must compensate for what we're losing because we have an objection in mind! And we are _going_ to conquer it in the name of the Death Weapon Meister Academy.”  
  
“ _Right_!”  
  
Maka’s lower lip quivered, forming into a pout. “But—”  
  
 _MAKA CHOP!_  
  
Ragnarok sighed blissfully as he dropped Maka’s trademark book to the ground, finally silencing the cowardly girl. “Oh, that felt good.” He promptly returned to weapon form.   
  
Caius observed everything in front of them. “Okay, so we have a puzzle to deal with.” Two boulders were stationed at the starting wall, but it was hard to see the various pathways. “We’re gonna need a bird’s eye view. Kind of hard to figure out a puzzle when you can’t really see it.”  
  
“Gotcha covered.” Kim and Jackie did Change ‘Pixie’ to turn the latter into a broomstick-esque state. “Ox, you come with me. Caius, you go with Kid. We need our other brainiacs since Maka’s recovering from a concussion.”  
  
“Right.”  
  
Kid and Kim lifted the two boys up into the air so that they could examine the puzzle from the sky. Back in Medusa’s chamber, the snake witch pursed her lips as she watched them. This level was simple because she wanted to easily see what other properties she could curse. Free crossed his bulky arms over his chest and said, “Seems like they’re the go-to people for this kind of stuff. You gonna let them figure the puzzle out?”  
  
“Of course not,” Medusa replied, thinking. As long as the ability or trait to be cursed wasn’t vital to one’s life, anything was fair game.   
  
Eruka idly kicked her feet as she sat on a ledge. “So, are you going to take away the intelligence of both of them? Ribbit.”   
  
“Well, I can’t curse that Vladingham when he’s already cursed.” Medusa eyed Ox and a snakelike smile appeared on her face, distorting it. “But I certainly can curse Ox Ford. That intellect of his is all he has anyway.”  
  
Meanwhile, back at the puzzle room, Ox examined every possible route – which ones would lead to dead ends, which ones would move them along, and which ones would guide them to the slots for the boulder. “Ok, I think I’ve figured it out.” In the ceiling above him, a vector snake broke through the surface and fell down, heading to Ox.   
  
While Caius had his own idea, he trusted Ox’s analysis more. “Talk to us.”  
  
Ox adjusted his spectacles and smirked pridefully. “It’s elementary, Caius. You see, the nonlinear pathways are meant to confuse us, but if you follow the-” The vector snake slipped into the collar of his Ox’s shirt and bit him. “ _Yeowch_!”  
  
Patty blinked several times, trying to comprehend his words. “...But if you follow the yeowch? That’s brilliant, Ox!” She clapped and giggled emphatically like she would after watching Saturday morning cartoons.   
  
“Um, is something wrong?” Kim asked, giving him a wondering look over her shoulder. Unless mosquito bites on Cobra Island were that painful, she had no idea why Ox exclaimed like that. The scholarly student turned his head to the benevolent witch, staring at her vacantly. To Kim, it looked like he didn’t even recognize her. “Okay, Ox, you’re freaking me out. Talk to me.”  
  
Kid narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “What did you find out about the puzzle?”   
  
Ox exchanged blank gazes between the puzzle below and the Shinigami, mouth open slightly. “Puz-zle?” His brain had a difficult time processing everything, from the questions to the people around him.   
  
Harvar wasn’t an idiot. In light of all the recent revelations, it didn’t take him long to figure out what happened to his partner – a sudden but extreme change that happened at an inconvenient time. Harvar growled, lightning crackling along his weapon form, as he put the pieces together. “She robbed Ox of his intelligence.”  
  
As to prove his point, Ox raised the sparking spear above his head and examined it with infantile wonderment, babbling like the idiot he was now.   
  
Kim felt a sharp blade run through her heart. As annoying as Ox had been to her in the past, the mission to rescue her during the Baba Yaga invasion made her realize more about him. There was a well-meaning, nice person beneath the nerdy exterior, and Medusa stole one of his most endearing qualities. A silent growl escaped Kim, a fire like none other brewing in her turquoise eyes. _“Oh, it’s personal now.”_  
  
“Well, that’s just great. We lost another one of our smart people.” Liz groaned, head dropping slightly. Ox was a moron in every sense of the word, and Maka did not have the courage to come up here and help out. “Looks like it’s up to you, Caius.”  
  
“I wish it wasn’t. I’d be a lot more confident if Ox provided his knowledge,” Caius replied, eyeing down to the puzzle. He wiped the sweat off of his forehead, feeling the pressure on him. “But here’s what I got, right or wrong. This whole system is designed to make us constantly choose, and we’ll get nowhere doing that. We pick a path and stick with it as long as it keeps us going forward. If it doesn’t, we backtrack, but as little as possible. All we must do is guide everyone along.”  
  
Kid nodded. It was worth a shot. “Sounds good. So let’s begin.” Giving Kim a gesture, they returned to the starting point where the rest of their comrades anxiously awaited their return.   
  
"So, what's the sitch, guys?" Nayumi asked, hoping to hear good news. She then saw Ox, for some bizarre reason, tentatively licking Harvar’s spear form. “...uhhh...”  
  
“Medusa,” Harvar replied in a tone more deadpan than usual. His reflection showed his eyebrow twitching uncontrollably as he tried to keep his usual expression. “Enough. Said.”  
  
Kilik smacked his forehead with his palm. “Great. My best friend’s borderline retarded now.”  
  
Crona had a hard time looking at what Ox had become. Ever since the resonance training, Crona had gotten to know Ox rather well. He was a good man with a big heart, someone almost as smart as Maka. He did nothing to deserve this. _“W-Why is she doing this to my friends?”_  
  
“Back on task, ladies and gentlemen,” Kid asserted and then explained, “What we’re doing is simple but, at the same time, isn’t simple. Kim, Caius, and I will be staying the air and guiding you guys while you all push the boulders along. Listen to everything we say because the pathways in this puzzle are unrelenting.”   
  
Soul walked over to one of the two boulders and placed a hand on it. His body involuntarily shivered from the coolness. “Dude, it feels like these things are made of steel, not rock.” He cautiously pushed it a little and almost lost his balance from the amount of resistance it gave back. “ _Man_ , that’s heavy!”  
  
“Really?” Rowena stepped up beside Soul, raised her foot, and kicked the boulder forward. “Hm. You’re right. This might take a little effort.”  
  
Soul deadpanned. “A little?”   
  
Anything that involved muscle was right up Blackstar’s ally, and he himself knew it too. The blue-haired boy grinned excitedly, ready to take on the challenge. “In that case, it’s time this star takes the stage.” He flashed that same look to Rowena, his competitive side taking over. “Try to keep up, Rowena.”  
  
The orange-haired girl stared blankly at him. He honestly believed he could beat her in a contest of strength. When she opened her mouth to talk back, she felt someone tugging her hair. It was Nayumi. She materialized the rest of her upper body and whispered into her meister’s ear. “Go with it. It’ll make both you and Blackstar go harder so we can get this over with more quickly.”  
  
Rowena nodded back, finding the sense in Nayumi’s words. As her partner became fully Weapon again, the Sledgehammer Meister pointed at Blackstar. “We’ll see about that. First one to get to the end of the puzzle is the winner!”  
  
“You’re on!”  
  
Rowena returned Thunder to Kilik. Then, the two got to work, pushing the boulders along the pathway, Blackstar using his hands and Rowena using her sledgehammer’s shaft. The gang split into two groups, following one or the other. Kim and Kid went back into the air, Caius riding with the latter, to give those below instructions. The irregular, sinuous pathways of the puzzle did nothing to deter Blackstar and Rowena, who were focused on beating one another and getting their friends out of here. Within minutes, the boulders were put in the right places, causing the first wall to magically disappear. Once it did, the two went right back to the work.   
  
“One of you guys tell us who’s leading!” Blackstar shouted, sweat dripping down his face. He loved the adrenaline rush, and it would be even better if he knew he was beating Rowena.   
  
“One second!” Caius called out, trying to juggle between watching him and Rowena. “Blackstar, turn right! Rowena, go straight!”  
  
 _CRASH!_  
  
Rowena’s and Blackstar’s faces hit their boulders as they collided with each other, throwing off their momentum. Caius flinched when he saw the accident, realizing he made an error. “Sorry! I mean to say, ‘Rowena, go left!’ And, Blackstar, I missed something. Go back and take that right you passed!” He couldn’t hear them mumbling under their breaths. Trying to lighten up the mood, he chuckled a little. “Well, at least they know they’re tied.”  
  
Kid and Kim both gave him an unamused look. “Caius.”  
  
“‘Not the time for that.’ Right. Sorry...”  
  
Medusa yawned boredly. “I think I’ve seen enough.” She set her sights on Rowena. She had her father’s physical strength, so if she was anything like him, she would be pretty useless without it, much like how her brother was now. “Nake snake cobra cobubra.”   
  
Rowena pushed the boulder one last, sending it a considerable distance. Panting heavily, she leaned over, placing her hands on her knees while still holding her sledgehammer. _“I’m startin’ to burn out from all this.”_ The ‘mission’ started to take its toll on her. Ever since they got off the boat, they had been running, fighting, and doing everything in-between without breaks. Sucking in air, Rowena readied herself to get back to work. However, out of nowhere, she felt an extremely heavy weight pull her forward. “What the-?”   
  
Her face met the concrete as her body flipped over. Tsuji saw the whole thing. “Whoa, Sis! You okay?” He ran over to her with Kilik, the Pot Twins, and Harvar, who dragged Ox with him. “Damn, did you forget you had a Weapon?”  
  
“N-No.” Rowena returned to her feet, caressing her sore face. She was probably way behind Blackstar now. With a sigh, she reached down to pick up her sledgehammer, but it didn’t budge. “H-huh?” She steadied herself, now focusing completely on the task. But it was to no avail. She couldn’t pick up Nayumi without feeling immense strain in her muscles and back. “W-W-What the hell?! Why won’t you move?!”  
  
“Rowena, what’s going on down there?” Kid called out as he hovered over the spot. “Blackstar’s already in position!”  
  
Rowena decided to not worry about her Weapon right now. “Gimme just a second!” She turned around and rushed toward the boulder, preparing to drive it with all of her might. The minute she made contact, her body rebounded off the boulder with a hard smack, and she fell on her back.   
  
Tsuji, Kilik, Harvar, Marcellus, Nayumi, and Harvar all cringed from the sound. _“That_ had _to hurt.”_  
  
That didn’t go unnoticed by Kim. Her whole body felt sore after seeing that. “I think we got another person down, guys.” She cupped her hands around her mouth to amplify her voice, “Blackstar! Leave your boulder and come over here!”  
  
Harvar kneeled down, touched her neck, and gave Rowena a small, nonlethal shock to help her regain equilibrium. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it seems Medusa cursed you as well.”  
  
“O-Oh no...” Nayumi whispered softly, returning to her human form. That explained why Rowena suddenly couldn’t pick her up. _“N-Not her strength. You know how much pride she takes in it?”_ Nayumi gulped nervously, expecting Rowena to go crazy like Tsuji.  
  
Rowena sat up, having recovered from the incident. She heard what Harvar said; the proof was undeniable. She glanced up to the boulder, now an immovable object to her, and then to her hands. Without her strength, her own pride and joy, she was useless. “Just don’t talk about it anymore, ‘k?” She requested, her heartbroken voice now barely above a whisper.    
  
Medusa grinned maliciously. Tally off another threat. She could afford one more curse before she had to stop for the level. Her remaining options were Blackstar, Kid, Kim, and Crona. “Hmm. This is a tough one.” She murmured to himself, watching the group convene and talk about what happened.   
  
“ _Damn you, Medusa, you coward_! _Enough of the games, fight us for real_! _Pick on someone your own side_!”   
  
Blackstar’s cacophonous rant made her grin turn into a disgusted scowl. She couldn’t understand how people tolerated him. Medusa honestly considered going down there and fighting Blackstar just to silence him for good. She then heard Free chuckle. “If you take away his pride, he’ll shut up quickly. We are men after all. Without pride, we wouldn’t do half the things we do”  
  
Only the Legendary Wolfman, the one who survived an all-out battle with Grandwitch Mabaa, would think of something so simple yet effective. “A lovely suggestion, Free. Nake snake cobra cobubra.”   
  
“—Fine then! If she doesn’t want to show herself, I’ll push both of these damn rocks myself so we _can_!” Full of righteous fury and anger, Blackstar ran full-force into the boulder and started driving it. “I’m tired of that woman! I’m gonna put her into the ground if it’s the last thing I—!”  
  
A vector snake peeled off the boulder and slipped into sleeve of Blackstar’s shirt. With one bite, the ranting boy was silenced. He progressively slowed down into a halt as many thoughts invaded his mind. Why was he doing this? What was the point of all this? What was the meaning of this fruitless struggle? For what reason did he want to surpass the gods? He came to the conclusion that he was wasting energy.   
  
“I quit,” Blackstar declared in a much quieter voice, turning around and sitting against the boulder.   
  
Tsubaki’s eyes shrunk in shock. Those were two words she never thought she’d hear from Blackstar. It was close to blasphemy even. Tsubaki herself was at a loss for words. Because quitting and Blackstar were polar opposites, the Shadow Weapon never prepared herself for something like this. As awful as it was, Tsubaki knew what this radical change meant. “O-Oh, Blackstar...” Indigo eyes shining with tears, Tsubaki reverted to her human state and gave her partner a comforting hug. “W-We’ll get to you back soon.”  
  
“Sh-she got Blackstar,” Maka announced, her voice cracking with fear. She latched onto Soul and cried hysterically. “ _We’re doomed_!”  
  
“We just lost our two powerhouses,” Jacqueline said morosely. “I don’t think any of us can move them ourselves.”  
  
As much as Kid hated to admit, she was right. Blackstar and Rowena made it look easy, but the rest of them lacked their brute strength. Three more walls within the puzzle were left. A group effort between the remaining Meisters and Demon Weapons would drain them, and that’s exactly what Medusa wanted. With a heavy sigh, Kid stepped onto his Beelzebub skateboard and floated into the air as the others watched him questioningly. Once he was high enough and could see Krysa on the other side, Kid pulled out a white handkerchief and raised it.  
  
“We forfeit this challenge.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author Notes: Small thing to note. In this story, Ox and Kim didn't officially become a couple after the Baga Yaga Castle invasion (you got Kilik and Kid to blame for that; moodwreckers). But let's say I do have something else in store for them. 


	28. The Gorgon Sisters: A Family Tree Burning of Hatred

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shaula's attack on Death City finally reaches its end. Does it end in victory or defeat? And for whom?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.

**The Gorgon Sisters: A Family Tree Burning of Hatred**  
  
Oh, how beautiful those words were.  
  
As the son of the Grim Reaper surrendered, Medusa freed an ecstatic grin. When the rest of his friends shouted their disapproval and began infighting, she laughed, shrill and harsh. Without cursing every single one of them, she successfully forced them – a group of young, stubborn but admittedly capable individuals – into giving up. This was but one small step towards making the entire DWMA submit. To make things better, she wasn’t even done with them yet. They had one more level to play before the endgame started. If the fourth and final game didn’t break them, that meant Medusa would have the pleasure of destroying them herself.   
  
“Krysa, go ahead and let them advance,” Medusa ordered as she stood up, “Tell them the next room is a rest stop.” As much as she wanted to keep hammering them with misfortune, her next plan of attack required some outside assistance, and she had to let Ouroboros rest for the daunting task ahead. It was a good thing broomsticks were much more efficient means of transportation than silly vessels. She would be in Death City to check on her foolish younger sister in no time.   
  
She turned to her lackeys – Maka was right in calling them that; Eruka was only on her side because of the half-dead snake in her body, the Mizune Sisters because of Eruka, and Free still owed her a debt. She could see that they, excepting Free, tried not to cringe at the unconcealed excitement on her face. “I’m going out for the rest of the day. Get some sleep for tomorrow.” She then gave Free a knowing look. “Especially you, Free. I’m going to need that Spatial Magic of yours yet again for the next level.”  
  
Free grinned, exposing his sharp teeth, his Magic Eye sparking with green and black static. “I haven’t forgotten. I’ve been making sure the spell has been in top form since you gave me the specs.”  
  
“Excellent.” With a snap of her fingers, vectors swarmed around the crystal ball, moving at a rapid pace. These vectors would immediately shred any foreign body, physical or magical, that dared to try and procure the item they protected. Another set of vectors brought her a spare broomstick.   
  
Her dastardly smile stuck on her face, Medusa exited the room, ready to meet up with Shaula. “I’ll hopefully see you all bright and early in the morning.”  
  


* * *

  
  
As per the orders, once the teenagers and adolescents had calmed down, Krysa snapped her fingers. The puzzle disappeared in a flash of black light, reverting it to nothing more than a flat slab of rock. “The forfeit is final.” Beneath her balcony, the wall split apart to reveal yet another entrance. “Please enter. You may move on.”  
  
 _Move on?_  
  
The gang had been under the impression that a forfeit would merit some sort of penalty, hence why they spent the last few minutes squabbling. As it seemed, it was the same as a regular loss – they could still keep going. Krysa understood their hesitance. “Do not worry. There is no ruse at play. You may advance to the next floor. I await your arrival.” She turned around and disappeared into the darkened depths beyond the balcony, leaving them be.   
  
“Well, as far as my Wavelength Sonar can tell, we’re in the clear,” Marcellus announced, unable to detect any outstanding objects comparable to the ones found in the maze. It indeed appeared a forfeit was the same as a loss. How uncharacteristically gracious of Medusa.   
  
“Keep your wits about you, everyone,” Caius said cautiously as he started walking.   
  
With no other options, everyone followed. Tsubaki, Nayumi, and Harvar all walked with their ailing Meisters since they were in no position to defend themselves. Kilik kept Pot of Fire and Pot of Thunder in his arms, still paranoid. It was a shame that Rowena could no longer help him defend them should they be targeted again.   
  
At the end was an elevator. Once everyone stepped onto the stone, it jerked to life. A magic circle appeared beneath platform and started lifting the gang through the shaft. They all stood in silence, letting the darkness be their guest, as the elevator ascended. Within seconds, the elevator slowed to a stop, the next stop greeting them with light.  
  
“That cannot be sunlight.” Claudia remarked. There was something natural about it, comforting even. Something the torches of the lower floors could not provide. When everyone anxiously stepped off the elevator, they were surprised to see it was an open-air area, giving them a view of the still-red skies with rays of sunlight breaking through them. “Oh my goodness, it is!”  
  
Kim took a deep breath and exhaled contently. “Fresh, clean air. I love it.”   
  
“Don’t get too comfortable, guys.” Soul said cautiously as the others gathered in the middle of the room. He looked up and saw the head of monolith facing away from them. If he had to guess, this area was located in the back of the snake formation. _“No wonder some of the guys are tired from walking up those steps. We must be high up.”_  
  
“On the contrary, you may get comfortable.”  
  
Accustomed to the icy-cold voice, everyone turned around and saw Krysa standing on yet another balcony, right above the elevator. “You have no games to play in this room. It is a rest stop. Take this time to catch your breath and prepare for the worst.”  
  
“You expect us to buy that?” Harvar questioned, his visor falling slightly to reveal his eyes, sharp as ever. “Let me guess... As soon as we’re sleeping or defenseless, something’s going to pop up and blindside us. Better yet, how do we know we’re not already in a game? Krysa, go tell Medusa we aren’t that stupid.”  
  
“I speak the truth.” Krysa replied. She would speak more firmly, but Medusa’s hold on her prevented such, “If you are still skeptical, use your abilities to survey the area. There are no traps, enemies, or threats. With the exception of the barrier over the vicinity to prevent escape, nothing is around.”  
  
Exercising caution, Kid, Nayumi, and Marcellus all used their respective sensory skill to validate Krysa’s claim. However, the Demon Spear still had his doubts. “You shouldn’t have mentioned a barrier because now I’m even more suspicious.”  
  
“If that is the case, all you can do is take my word.”  
  
Marcellus was sure the others bought the story and deemed Harvar as paranoid. Even though he agreed with him, there wasn’t much any of them could do. If Medusa truly had something planned, what could they do to stop it? This was her territory after all. “Might as well just face facts. No point in fighting it,” Marcellus said to Harvar. The Demon Bow had to admit, as suspect as the barrier was, Medusa was smart for using it. Kid and Kim could have flown everyone out of the monolith.   
  
With a sigh, Marcellus’s weapon form glowed brown before he became human. The others followed suit. “Well, guess we’re chillin’, guys,” Rowena said as she lowered herself to the ground and then laid on her back, “I, for one, am taking advantage of this.”  
  
“So am I.” Marcellus laid down beside the orange-haired girl. “A good nap might replenish the energy tanks.”   
  
“Marcellus, you haven’t even done anything, you lazy bum!” Patty said accusingly, her voice laced with a childish laugh. Just then, a thought crossed her mind. “Unless you’re going to pass the time counting sheep! Do you want my help?”   
  
“Patty, how are you going to count Marcellus’s sheep if he’s asleep?” Nayumi asked, shaking her head, “You can’t see them.”  
  
Patty gave the girl a sustained look. Looking up the sky, she contemplatively placed a finger on her lower lip. “Hmm... Oh! I can judge by how loudly he snores!” She pointed at Nayumi and grinned victoriously. “So, HA! In your face, Nayumi!”   
  
“ _Spec-ial_!” Ragnarok chanted before releasing several cackles.   
  
Liz sighed in irritation. The gray hairs she grew on this mission were probably the ones out of place right now. “Guys, shouldn’t we plan something out? You know, _so that we won’t die_?” She then added in her mind, _“Because God knows I’m too young and pretty to die here.”_ She kept it in for the most part, but Liz was pretty scared herself. She figured the group didn’t need another complainer.   
  
“I agree with Liz,” Caius said as he sat down, crossing his legs Indian-style. “We need to have an idea of what we’re facing for the rest of our time here.” He then looked over to Crona, who was looking at the ground absentmindedly. “Crona, since you’re most familiar with Medusa, what can you tell the uninformed about her? Combat-wise?”  
  
The response was almost immediate. It was all part of Crona’s memories. “Her Magic is about snakes and vectors meant to tear you apart while making sure she doesn’t get hit. And she’ll taunt you and make you make bad decisions.”  
  
“I see.”  
  
“Here’s what I would like to know,” Claudia spoke up, crossing her arms over her chest, “Who were those people posing as our captains? She said she had allies, didn’t she?”  
  
“I wonder...” Tsubaki cupped her chin, drumming her opposite hand’s finger on her elbow. “Could she talking about the werewolf and the two other Witches?”  
  
Kid’s gold eyes widened in realization. “Of course!” He slapped his own forehead, feeling terrible all of a sudden. “Why didn’t I see it before? Free, Eruka, and those mouse witches! That’s just perfect, now we have—” He was interrupted when he heard loud snoring, looking to see Rowena, Marcellus, Patty, and Nayumi already fast asleep. His eye twitched a few times. Their flippancy was unreal. “ _Will you people wake up_?! _We’re debriefing here_!”  
  
“Forget them, Kid.” Harvar urged, shaking his head. “Some of us can rest, some of us can keep watch. Anyway, so instead of Medusa being our prime threat, we’ve got a couple others, correct?”  
  
Kid sighed, calming down. “Yes, that’s correct. Which means we now have to divide our attention despite our low number of fighters. Obviously, I’m more concerned about Medusa and Free, so we need our best Meisters taking them on.”  
  
Crona raised one finger. “U-Um, may I say something?”   
  
“Go on.”  
  
“We should have this discussion after the final level,” the swordsman suggested, rubbing its arm nervously, “Y-You know, because we don’t know who else might get cursed.” Crona understood this would probably be their only chance to formulate a strategy; however, they weren’t done. Sure, they could think of a plan now, but if a curse took away a vital player, it would crumble right then and there.  
  
Kid’s reservations came from the unknown amount of time between the end of the fourth game and their confrontation with Medusa and her allies. However, the more he thought about it, the more he realized Crona had a point. Having a plan that could break apart and leave them helpless was indeed a bad idea. The Shinigami glanced over to Ox, Blackstar, and Maka. Ox was drooling on himself like a baby, Blackstar lied there motionless and ignorant to the world around him, and Maka constantly looked around for anything that might hurt her. This was his biggest concern – reclaiming the abilities and traits of those cursed.   
  
Kid sighed. “Yes, I suppose you’re right, Crona.” There were too many variables with not enough leeway at this point. He soon took a seat on the ground as well.    
  
Tsubaki and Liz looked at the young Reaper, blinking. “So... wait?”  
  
Kid nodded and closed his eyes, reaching into his suit. He felt the Demon Tool BREW in it like always. He hoped this mechanism would help him, hoped that Stein’s lecture about them had some truth. “And pray.”  
  


* * *

  
  
 _“How?!”_  
  
Shaula’s brain raced to find a logical solution to her current dilemma. With each failure, her anger continued to rise. At one point, her victory was all but assured. Now, her entire plan threatened to fail. Firstly, she sensed her hold on some of the NOT students disappear, meaning that measly antidote actually worked. Secondly, she was locked in combat with three insignificant NOT students and a DWMA CIA agent – a four-on-one feud that gradually eroded her confident demeanor the longer it played out.   
  
Shaula heard a series of rapid footsteps that brought her attention back to the fight. If she had been a second slower in twisting around and jumping to the side, Akane’s longsword would have sliced her in two. The “be careful what you wish for” idiom her mother taught her echoed in Shaula’s mind. Once Tatane had been freed, Akane started to show incredible prowess, no doubt a result of martial dojo thing he was affiliated with. Even before she landed, her eyes locked onto Akane as he strafed left and right at high speeds in an attempt to safely approach her.  
  
“Hold it right there!” Shaula outstretched her hands and summoned a red, magical field before her. The sigil then released a shockwave that forced Akane backwards. However, the boy dug his feet into the ground to stop his momentum and darted forward again as if the spell was but a minor inconvenience. _“Curses!”_ Her prehensile braid twitched and then shot out right when Akane swung, both objects clashing loudly. The force was far greater than the girls’ attacks, making Shaula unconsciously backpedal.  
  
Clay smirked dangerously. She fell for it. “Now!”   
  
The next thing Shaula knew, Meme appeared by her side and rammed her elbow into her hip. Shaula could have sworn the bone popped out of the socket. Right after that, Anya closed the gap between herself and Shaula’s other side, driving the halberd’s spearhead into the upper parts of her ribs. Shaula knew for certain that had cracked one or two of them.  
  
“One more for good measure.” As the girls separated themselves, Akane stepped forward and delivered a palm strike to her sternum. “Soul Force!” The blast of soul energy was delivered right to her heart, causing Shaula to spit up blood as she was sent to the wall waiting a few meters behind her.   
  
Meme and Anya shielded their eyes from the gravel and dust that flew out on impact. “Did that get her?” Tsugumi asked, peering through the cloud of dirt for confirmation on Shaula’s fate.  
  
“I doubt that,” Akane replied honestly, still in a battle stance.   
  
Once everything subsided, they saw Shaula leaning against the damaged wall. One hand was placed against the spot where Anya broke skin, trying to stop the bleeding. She seemed to be trying to keep all of her weight off of her right leg, where Meme scored her hit. The scorpion witch glowered at them, rage boiling at an intensity she never once felt. “You little brats... _Damn you_!” Charging up her magic power, Shaula raised her unoccupied arm and produced another magical field. “Summoning Magic!”  
  
A pulse of red energy flew across the area. Then, the entire ground started shaking violently, forcing the meisters to crouch down to keep their balance. The concrete of the courtyard broke apart as several huge, dark purple and red scorpion clawed their way to the surface. Clay gritted his teeth. “Even after all this, she still has enough magic power to summon these things?”  
  
“As expected of a strong Witch like Shaula Gorgon,” Akane mused, straightening up once the vibrations ceased. The scorpions slammed their pincers together and roared menacingly, ready to tear them apart for harming their master. “Harudori. Princess Yngling. Tatane. I believe the real fight begins now. Stay focused.”  
  
“Right!”  
  
 _“That should buy me some time.”_ Shaula used the same hand to reach into her outfit and produce a small vial filled with green liquid. In retrospect, she was glad it was provided to her as part of the operation. Flicking the cork off with her thumb, Shaula downed the potion in one gulp. Immediately, she felt the restoratives working. In three minutes tops, her dislocated hip and cracked ribs would be gone. That done, Shaula beheld the fight, waiting for the right moment to strike and make them pay.   
  
Five of the scorpions surrounded Meme and Anya, finding them to be the bigger nuisances to their master. The two 14-year-olds, standing back-to-back, looked at each other and nodded, steeling their nerves. Nothing was going to stop them. They were going to put an end to this no matter what. One scorpion boldly charged forward, and Anya responded by relinquishing control of their weapon to Meme, the halberd’s axe enlarging. Meme then swung and knocked away the pincer coming at her. Then, Meme raised the halberd and brought it down to the scorpion’s head in a crushing arc. The axe punctured the exoskeleton and pulverized the soft interior, killing it instantly.  
  
During that, two more scorpions charged, but Tsugumi saw them from the corner of her eyes. “Behind you!”   
  
Instinctively, Meme returned the halberd to Anya. Then, she rolled across the blonde’s back to get in front, followed by throwing a punch hard enough to stunt one of the scorpions. Meanwhile, Anya jammed the blunt of end of the halberd into the ground and flipped over the other’s strike. “Royal Spear Technique!” Still airborne, Anya stabbed the spearhead into the scorpion’s neck. Then, manipulating her own body weight, Anya flipped herself off, headed to the other one, and slashed it across its face while Meme had it distracted.   
  
The remaining three scorpions roared loudly, angered by the deaths of their kin, and aimed their stingers at the girls. Subsequently, a flurry of red spikes were fired at them. Fearless, Anya and Meme grabbed the halberd at the same time and ran forward. With a swing, Meme easily deflected the first few. When more came, Anya took the lead and seamlessly dodged them. It was a synchronized dance between the two ladies. They complemented each other, helped each other. Every step, every twirl, and every strike counted – the perfect combination of strength and grace. In due time, they made it to one of the summoned creatures without taking a single hit.  
  
“Royal Spear Technique!” Anya rammed the spearhead right into scorpion’s face with pinpoint accuracy, the monster releasing a shrill scream of death. Meme then took over, tightening her grip on the shaft. Using her muscles to the fullest, the brunette lifted the large scorpion off the ground and threw it into another with great force.   
  
Anya’s jaw dropped as the two creatures went tumbling backwards. “My goodness, Meme...”  
  
Meme blushed in embarrassment. “Y-You’re doing good too, Anya!” She couldn’t take all of the credit. A couple of those stingers back there would’ve hit her if it weren’t for Anya’s skilled instructions.  
  
A scorpion landed behind the girls with a thunderous boom and roared furiously. Blood drained from the girls’ faces, realizing they let the moment get to them.  
  
“No you don’t! Turning Swallow Cut!”  
  
The scorpion was silenced in one single blow. Akane landed in a crouching position in front of the summoned monster, longsword held in a reverse grip. A second later, the scorpion split into two, perfect halves. He looked at the stunned girls and told them, “I said ‘stay focused,’ ladies. Anything can happen on the battlefield. Remember that from now on.”  
  
“O-OK.”  
  
 _“H-How?!”_  
  
Shaula couldn’t keep her mouth closed, and her eye wouldn’t stop twitching. Those were some of her finest scorpion summons, and these brats felled all but one of them. Three little girls who probably never seen an ounce of actual combat since they arrived at the Academy, and they were _beating_ her. And this factored in Medusa supposedly preoccupying a group of even stronger students.   
  
_“Why...Why...Why... why, why, why WHY?!”_  
  
Shaula had enough. She wasn’t going to risk anything else being in their presence. Despite their lack of refined skill or combat training, it seemed she grossly underestimated their raw strength and uniqueness. Therefore, it was time to cut her losses and let her work do the talking from here on out. The scorpion witch’s hair stabbed into the stone wall behind her and began lifting her up. “It seems I’m at a disadvantage fighting you lot solo. I’ll let my remaining soldiers eviscerate you themselves.”  
  
“Crap! If she escapes, this battle will drag on and on!” Clay yelled, “And she can just come back and poison more people!” On cue, the final scorpion stepped in the way, ready to lay down its life to ensure its master’s withdrawal. Its stinger and pincers glinted, an indication of their sharpness. No matter what, it was going down fighting.  
  
Anya and Meme did not cow at all, pointing the halberd at Shaula as she slowly but surely scaled the wall. “We won’t _let_ her escape.”   
  
Tsugumi could feel the conviction of her two meisters, bolstering her own confidence. They could do this; they could beat this woman and end this madness. “We’re taking back... the fun life we had!” The souls of Tsugumi, Anya, and Meme began to synchronize. They found their foundation: the desire to save everyone and to protect each other. Their wavelengths linked, sending them to one another in an endless cycle and producing intense soul energy around all three girls. Light and wind swirled around them as the halberd began to change form.   
  
Clay watched phenomenon ensue, eyes widening slightly. “I-Is that a Soul Resonance?”   
  
“Normally, during a Soul Resonance, the soul wavelengths bounce back and forth to amplify each other. Even with two Weapons and one Meister.” Akane explained as he used his Soul Perception to examine every bit of this groundbreaking sight. “But, with them, their wavelengths are going in a circle, creating an amplification cycle.”   
  
“ _The bonds of three become one_!”  
  
The halberd twisted into a giant, tapering cone, and the energy created a large, lavender bow beneath it. The weapon lifted Anya and Meme off the ground as two ribbons billowed in the wind. With the speed of a rocket and bright purple energy surging around them, they flew directly at Shaula. The scorpion continued to stand in the way, but by the time it readied a counterattack, the attack bore straight through it, leaving very little left.   
  
Shaula’s eyes shrunk to the size of pennies. _“I-I won’t be able to dodge all of it!”_  
  
“Triple Resonance: _Spring Bird Attack_!”  
  
Spring Bird Attack slammed into the spot where Shaula was. The deafening bang of the explosion drowned out Shaula’s scream of agony. Akane shielded his eyes to protect them from the bright flash as a storm of smoke, dust, and debris brewed.  
  
When the aftermath subsided, Akane looked to see a big, gaping hole in the building. That was the least of his concerns. There was no sight of the girls or Shaula. “Girls? _Girls_!” Akane jumped through the hole and landed on the other side of the building. To his relief, Tsugumi, Anya, and Meme were there, the former having returned to her human form. “There you are!”  
  
Tsugumi watched as Akane approached them and looked at the hole they cleanly made. “Did we... do it?”  
  
“F-Fools!”  
  
The students looked up to the roof of the building and saw Shaula standing there. Well, most of her. Her entire right arm was gone along with parts of her side and torso. Blood stained part of her outfit, and smoke emanated from her burn wounds. Her damaged body wobbled in place as Shaula tried to stand tall.   
  
Tsugumi’s heart sank. All that work down the drain. “S-she’s still alive?!”    
  
“Persistent little pest, isn’t she?” Anya remarked, glaring at her as Meme gritted her teeth.   
  
“Didn’t.. I.. tell you?” Shaula spoke through heavy, laborious pants. She was glad the healing portion was still in effect. Otherwise, she would have blacked out from the pain. “I’m a Witch! N-Nothing... absolutely _nothing_ you can do shall—”  
  
“Nothing, you say?”  
  
She recognized that voice anywhere. Goofy it sounded, it was still capable of instilling fear in any enemy. Shaula’s defiant bravado all but collapsed when she heard it. Her throat went dry, her shaking intensified, and sweat ran down her face in rivulets. Forget pain, she thought she’d die of fright. Shaula slowly turned her head to look over her shoulder. A strained noise escaped her as her eyes shrunk to the size of dimes.  
  
She was staring Death Himself in the face, along with all of his Death Scythes.  
  
Lord Death titled his body, looking beyond the terrified Witch to his students. “Don’t worry, you guys! You did marvelously! I’ll take it from here.”  
  
 _“Take it from...?”_ If there was any doubt in Shaula’s mind she was a goner, that sealed it. _“Oh, no.”_  
  
Lord Death set his sights back on the scorpion witch, who unconsciously took a step back. “I really, _really_ don’t appreciate what you’ve done to my city and my people. Have you any idea of the people’s lives you’ve changed for the worst? I don’t think you do.” He started inching toward Shaula, who continued backing away. The Death Scythes remained by their lord’s side, letting him do all the talking. “I swear, you Witches think you can do anything in your silly little pursuit for dominance. Though, I think I have myself to blame. You’ve forgotten who the guardian of this world is.” As he spoke, Lord Death’s voice gradually deepened. Shaula had only stories and rumors to go by, but now, hearing the true voice of the entity who nearly murdered her oldest sister, they didn’t compare. “I’m going to make an example of you, Shaula Gorgon. To let my enemies know who’s still in charge around here.”  
  
Shaula’s eyes darted around, trying to find _something_ that could aid in a swift escape. She found it, a streetlight. She knew her hair could extend far enough to reach it. That was her main concern right now – getting out of the same place as the Grim Reaper. Adrenaline keeping her on her feet, Shaula immediately whipped out her prehensile braid to the light-pole.  
  
“Azusa!” Lord Death called out, eyes narrowing. Instantly, Azusa transformed into a crossbow-like rifle. Catching it, the Shinigami fired. A stream of energy shot out, easily severing Shaula’s braid, and the ground shook when the ‘bullet’ struck it and formed a crater.  
  
Shaula’s face lost even more color. Her most useful tool was now gone in just one attack. No, she had to calm down and think rationally. There was a way to escape even a god. “To Hell with you, Death!” She cried out as a magic sigil appeared below her feet, “You can’t have my soul!” Pitch-black stingers, modeled after her own braid, emerged out of the roof, obscuring Lord Death and the Death Scythes’ view of her.   
  
“Dengu!” In a flash of light, Lord Death now wielded a robust hatchet. As the stingers came at him, the Grim Reaper twisted his body. “Rainbow Axe!” In the arc of his subsequent swing, streams of light formed a rainbow that consume every stinger, vaporizing them instantly and shredding off a layer of stone from the roof. Once the rainbow disappeared, he noticed Shaula no longer stood there. “She’s on the run. Death Scythes, assume Weapon form!”  
  
“Yes, sir!”  
  
With the exception of Justin, every single Death Scythe transformed. From his body, Lord Death created several shadow skull arms that grabbed ahold of each one. He then jumped off of the rooftop, using his Soul Perception to detect Shaula’s presence. _“All the way over there already? Hmph. She’s crafty, I’ll give her that.”_ When he landed on the ground, he saw a summoned scorpion obscuring his path, trying to buy Shaula time. “Move! Tsar!” Lord Death attached the cannonball to his leg. Then, he performed a front-flip, slamming it onto the scorpion and crushing it instantly.  
  
That done, Lord Death detached the cannonball and quickly tried to redetect Shaula. Unlike last time, he sensed nothing. “She’s using Soul Protect.” The Shinigami strapped Tezca to his arm and then ordered, “Tezca, track her down.”  
  
“You got it, boss.” The surface of his mirror glowed as Tezca went to work identifying Shaula’s location. Little did she know, the Demon Mirror had reflected her presence when they first arrived. Now, she couldn’t run. “Found her!”   
  
Lord Death examined the contents of the mirror and nodded, removing it. Then, he grabbed Marie. “Marie, I need Lightning Rope.”  
  
“Yes, sir!”   
  
Numerous black tendrils emerged from the handle of Marie’s weapon form, wrapping around Lord Death’s wrist. Justin then placed a hand on Lord Death’s arm. Then, the two suddenly vanished from sight, as if they teleported. All the while, Tsugumi, Anya, Meme, and Clay bore witness to it all, frozen with mortal awe. This was power beyond belief – the same enemy they struggled against was being treated like a weakling by Lord Death.   
  
Swallowing thickly, Clay managed to regain his voice. “S-So that’s Lord Death at his strongest?”  
  
Akane nodded, readjusting his hair so that it was back to his normal style. “Yes. Whenever Lord Death uses a Death Scythe, he’s capable of bringing out its full potential better than any Death Weapon Meister. They complement his own immense might, reverting him to his glory in days of yore.” He wistfully looked at the destruction done to the roof of the building and the street below. “That’s why the tale around these parts is ‘The Grim Reaper at His finest, wielding a Death Scythe.’”  
  
Clay recovered from his shock, a proud smile appearing on his face. “Shaula Gorgon’s toast.”  
  
The mentioned Witch was in Rigor Mortis Street, running as fast as her ailing body could allow. She was almost there, almost out of Lord Death’s sphere of influence. If she could get pass that point, she’d live to fight another day. These injuries could be mended with time. The shame and vengefulness she felt when she lost to those NOT girls was long gone. In the face of being hunted by Death at his most serious, it was a loss she could live with.   
  
“ _This_... is what... Arachne had to go through?!” Shaula said to himself, a wheeze lining her voice.  
  
“Why, yes indeed.”  
  
Shaula was yet again face-to-face with the Reaper, who appeared literally out of nowhere. A frightened gasp escaped her, the witch backpedaling to create as much as distance between them as possible. Lord Death conjectured she was already thinking of a way to slip by. He needed to put an end to those plans right now. Detaching Marie from his arm, he quickly snatched up Djinn. “Djinn, I need The Lovers! Create a perimeter!” He then looked at Justin by his side, “When I give the word, Justin, restrain her.”  
  
“Understood.”  
  
“With pleasure, my lord!”  
  
Smoke spilled out from Djinn’s oil lamp form, and it morphed intoa cylindrical, robotic entity. Subsequently, the large heart at the center of its body charged energy with the two arms helping in shaping the orb. The entity then fired a thin, energy beam at an arc, striking the ground behind Shaula. A giant explosion rocked the area and produced a semicircle of fire in its wake. The shockwave was enough to knock Shaula off of her feet, the heat and wind forcing her to close her eyes.   
  
A glint appeared in Lord Death’s eyes. “Now.”  
  
On cue, Justin sprinted toward the downed Shaula and stationed himself behind her. “Carcan Claw.” Justin converted his left forearm into a headlock and seized Shaula by her neck. He forcibly lifted her to her feet as she struggled in his grasp. “Now, my lord! Here’s your chance!”  
  
“Spirit.” Lord Death exchanged weapons, now twirling his most prized Death Scythe in his hand. “Let’s say we finish this, huh?”  
  
Spirit’s reflection appeared on his scythe’s blade. “Ready when you are.”  
  
“Let’s go, Soul Resonance!”  
  
An immense wave of soul energy surrounded Lord Death, all of which began diverting to his scythe. “Justin! The minute I swing, get out of the way!” The darkening soul energy molded the scythe into a new shape – a large, black and red cross. “Witch Hunter!” That done, Lord Death geared his weapon back, readying himself.   
  
As Justin released and pushed her forward, Shaula’s mind raced until she settled upon an absolute last resort. _“I didn’t want to deal with the consequences, but I’d rather live!”_  
  
“Rest in pieces.” With a powerful roar, Lord Death dashed forward and swung Witch Hunter. The legendary technique consumed Shaula’s entire body, and a surge of blackness stretched across the ground in a wide arc. Concrete shattered like glass, and the fires of the explosion were blown away through sheer air pressure. Seconds drew out before the aftermath subsided, leaving a scarred block in its wake. Witch Hunter deactivating, Lord Death twirled the scythe twice before planting its blunt end into the ground. “It is done.”  
  
The shadow skull arms receded into his body, and the Death Scythes transformed back to normal. Tezca was the first to notice that nothing remained of Shaula Gorgon. “Hm. No soul or nothing, Lord Death?”  
  
“No. I aimed for total obliteration,” He replied in an even tone, “If it’s correct that Shaula’s attack was condoned by the With Society, I wanted to leave them a message: stop attacking my city.”  
  
“Well, your heart is in the right place, Lord Death. However...” Azusa adjusted her glinting glasses as she faced her lord. “Are you aware of the damages _you_ caused?”  
  
Lord Death flinched, holding up his hands in defense, his voice and mask’s appearance returning to normal. “N-now hold on, Azusa! Everyone gets a little carried away sometimes!”  
  
Tezca started snickering as he eyed the giant gash in the road near them, along with the wreckage from the explosion. “Yeah ‘cause nothing spells ‘carried away’ like thousands of dollars in _property damage_.” Unable to compose himself, he fell to the ground laughing, finding the whole situation to be ironic.   
  
“Not to mention, we apparently need to improve our defenses again.” Spirit said, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I thought Death City would be fine after what happened 23 years ago, but I guess I was wrong.”  
  
Around this time, the reddened skies above Death City disappeared, and everyone that survived the attack welcomed the bright sun and blue skies. Looking up, Dengu watched the change undergo and found inspiration. “And, as red ceases to be, Heaven shines upon the world once more.”  
  
“Hmph. Let’s hope it stays that way.” Tsar remarked as his crossed his arms over his large chest. “I grow weary of all these recent developments.”  
  
“Well, don’t get too weary.” Lord Death bounced around so that he faced every single one of his Death Scythes. “We gotta a lot of work to do in repairing the city. And we still have to keep our eyes and ears peeled for the overarching threats. Since I’m bound here, I’m going to need all of your help. Is that understood?”  
  
“Yes, sir!”  
  
“Goodie!” Lord Death clapped his large hands together. “Now let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work!”  
  


* * *

  
  
Her breath ragged, Shaula thanked the Great Wizard Eibon and all of his brethren that she managed to somehow survive this harrowing experience. She slowed herself down to a snail’s pace once she was deep within the moors that lied beyond the desert. Shaula considered herself lucky that she was able to locate a Traitor and commandeer her body. Sure, she was a bit shorter, and her body felt strange in certain locations, but it was better than life as a mere scorpion. Now she understood why soul fragmentation was classified as a high-level magic spell. It was difficult to control and taxing on one’s magic reserves. But, to resort to it meant Shaula had exhausted every last one of her fail-safes.   
  
Shaula eventually stopped and leaned against a nearby tree to catch her breath and ease her racing heart. She took this time to replay the events of her operation. Her plans probably started falling apart when Meme broke free of her control. Or perhaps it was when she, God knows why, agreed to be in an alliance with Medusa. She cursed her with bad luck. After all, the minute one thing went wrong, the miscalculations piled on until her plans collapsed under their weight.  
  
The strategy between them was supposed to be simple. Medusa would destroy their most renowned and strongest child soldiers, thereby weakening the military as a whole, while Shaula attacked the home base and encouraged infighting with her poison. Naturally, safety measures were involved to stave off suspicion. Medusa enlisted three random students in addition to Maka and the others, and Shaula used her most prized sleeper agent, Meme Tatane, to closely monitor the Academy’s activity and plan accordingly.    
  
In hindsight, Shaula took on the more challenging part. While defeat was a bitter pill to swallow, she was prepared to disappear into the background, rethink everything, and come back stronger than ever. “This isn’t over,” she whispered vengefully under her breath, “I’ll crush that organization one way or another.”  
  
“My, my. Even after that little debacle, you still want to try again?”  
  
Shaula’s rage returned full blast when she heard a smug, condemnable voice she knew all too well. Narrowing her dual-colored eyes, she looked forward to see the hooded middle child of the Gorgon Sisters casually sauntering over to her.   
  
“Medusa.” The scorpion witch spat the name out. It was poison that even her scorpions weren’t immune to. “What do you want?”  
  
Medusa blinked, feigning hurt. “You’d strike that tone with me even though we’re sisters-in-arms?”  
  
“Get to the point,” Shaula demanded, peeling herself off the tree. She wanted to show no weakness to Medusa, to give her no reason to underestimate her despite the circumstances.   
  
Medusa sighed, placing her hands on her hips. “For someone so smart, you can be so dumb, Shaula. Why else would I deign to step within a hundred miles of the Reaper’s dungeon? We’re in an alliance after all.” The snake witch saw her sister’s glare soften. Perhaps some hopeful thought crossed her mind, whatever it may be. Wanting to dash it, Medusa grinned devilishly and then said, “Oh wait. You couldn’t fulfill your end of the bargain, huh?” A chuckle escaped her once Shaula’s eyes widened out of shock and shame. “Oh, yes. I saw when those insignificant little worms bested you. Sure, you’re not dead, but you’d certainly be the laughingstock of the Witch Society if you’re still affiliated with it. I certainly got a laugh or two out of that performance.”  
  
Shaula gritted her teeth. That lash thing she needed was her snake of a sister prodding her already-weakened defenses. Nonetheless, Medusa had a reason for being here. Either she completed her part – and Shaula hoped not – or she too experienced some trouble back in Cobra Island. “Enough about me, let’s talk about you. Do you fulfill _your_ end?”  
  
Medusa’s grin vanished, her mouth turning into a thin line of indifference. “Not quite. Those children and my failed experiment are still alive. For now.”  
  
Now it was Shaula to laugh. “ _You_ , of all people, can’t destroy a pack of insolent brats? And here you are being condescending! I coordinated a citywide assault by myself in enemy territory. You, on the other hand, have a whole island to yourself _and_ strong allies.”  
  
“I’ll have you to know those brats are in the palm of my hand,” Medusa retorted. Her right hand twitched, the urge to summon a Vector Drill and shred Shaula’s smug face to pieces coursing through it. “And you’re in no position to talk. Not after splitting your soul like that. Feels odd, doesn’t it? To be candid, I didn’t think you’d be capable of that.”  
  
Shaula huffed. “We aren’t children anymore.”  
  
“Yes. This is true.” Medusa reached up to her hood and removed it. “In that case, allow me to make a grown-up request.”  
  
Shaula refrained from rolling her eyes. Her only targets were a group of child soldiers, and yet she still required more assistance. That, in her opinion, was laughable. While Shaula had every intention of denying her, the scorpion witch decided to humor her. “That would be?”  
  
The minute she felt something around her waist, Shaula knew she was in trouble. Five vectors swarmed her from behind the tree she stood in front of, folding around her waist and limbs completely. The vectors then tightened like shackles and forcibly pulled her against the tree. Flailed she did, but the vectors had already punctured through the wood to bind her in place. Her arms and legs wrapped around the tree trunk, Shaula was stripped of her freedom.   
  
“Let me have your soul.”  
  
Shaula ceased her meaningless struggling, and her head snapped up to stare at Medusa in disbelief. “What?! W-Why?! _I’m your sister_!”  
  
Medusa released a light but shameless laugh, her gold eyes shining in sadistic mirth. “That you are, but I also don’t care.” She started approaching the restrained woman. “I mean, I betrayed Arachne 800 years ago, so it’s only natural I add you to the list.” Medusa opted not to caress Shaula’s face like she initially planned; she might bite her hand like the lowly dog she considered her to be. “You see, for my next act back at home, Ouroboros requires a bit more power that I cannot generate. So where can I get some? Why, a soul, of course. Better yet, a Witch’s Soul, ripe with Magic and transformative properties. As it turns out, you’re the only Witch around.”  
  
Medusa raised her hand and finally formed the Vector Drill she yearned for. Once the sound of whirring registered in her mind, Shaula snapped. “ _Damn you_!” The woman shrieked, thrashing and attempting to rip herself out of the vectors’ grasp to no avail. Her body shook uncontrollably, and her vision turned red with intense fury. “You _dare_ betray me when _I’m_ the one you should fear?! _Arachne and I took Death head-on and survived_! You never even _tried_ like the coward you are! All you do is lie and deceive! You hole yourself up and let others do your bidding knowing you can’t do it yourself! _You’re so pathetic_! I pray and hope to the Great Warlocks of Lore that those child soldiers _end_ you!”  
  
Medusa didn’t bother holding back her victorious, almost mad laughter. It wasn’t deliberate mockery this time, she found that little rant to be genuinely hilarious. This was her attempt to be brave in the face of her impending doom? Oh, the desire to be acknowledged could be such a pitiful motivation. “Foolish little sister, wasting your final words damning me.”   
  
Medusa geared back her hand and shot it forward, piercing through Shaula’s chest. Blood and viscera spewed out and splattered against the grass and Medusa herself. The screeching vectors drilled into the body, shredding up everything with reckless abandon. _“Almost...”_ Medusa groped around the wet entrails and destroyed bone, searching for Shaula’s soul. Once she felt something cool among the hot insides, Medusa’s grin broadened. _“Found it.”_ She harshly pulled her arm back and removed the desired object from the body. Once she saw it, however, Medusa’s grin vanished and bewilderment replaced her smugness. “What the-?!”  
  
It was luminous and purple like a Witch’s Soul, but its size said otherwise. Medusa was holding but a mere pebble in comparison. She reexamined Shaula’s body and saw it hadn’t disappeared yet. Her mind raced to connect the dots, to explain what in the world just went wrong. When she did, a nasty growl escaped Medusa. “She used the soul fragmentation spell _consecutively_?! Even I can’t do that!”  
  
Perhaps she underestimated Shaula, but that didn’t ebb Medusa’s burgeoning hatred for her. How dare that trifling woman play her for a fool. She couldn’t stand losing her moment of pride so she foiled her own. Once the initial storm of anger calmed down, Medusa more closely inspected the object. She could sense faint magic power from it. It actually appeared that Shaula sacrificed a piece of her own soul to ensure her survival. As small as it was, Medusa could make do with it. After all, scientists used all resources when conducting experiments. “I wanted to preserve Atlas’s soul, but it appears I’ll have to use it to compensate for this minor setback.”  
  
Now that Shaula was out of the way, Medusa could focus on Maka, Crona, and their friends back on Cobra Island. Rolling the small soul piece between her fingers, Medusa smiled sinisterly. By tomorrow’s end, those children should be dead.   
  
“It’s time we begin the endgame.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, Atsushi Okubo, I love your series and all, but you blew it during the manga’s version of the Shaula fight. Do you know how hype it would’ve been to see Lord Death and his Death Scythes in combat? Oh well… I guess that’s what fanfiction is for, huh?
> 
> Now, the next chapter might be another lengthy one due to the sheer amount of stuff I have planned. So it may come out a bit later than usual. Bear with me, please. I’ll make sure it’s worth the wait. After all, the Cobra Island Arc is rapidly approaching its conclusion.


	29. Self and Shadow: The Unknown You (Part 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY! I finally got this chapter finished!
> 
> *sees the last update date of this story*
> 
> …
> 
> Well, THAT probably killed my viewership…
> 
> Really, I apologize. Between a summer job, summer workouts for football, and writing commissions of DeviantArt, the time went by super-fast. Then there’s THIS chapter I knew would take so much time to write, and I STILL had to divide it up into two parts.
> 
> Anyway, I’m done rambling. That’s not what you guys are here for. Enjoy.
> 
> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.

**Self and Shadow: The Unknown You (Part 1)**

<i> _Month 2, Week 2, Day 3 (Wednesday, February 11 th)_</i>  
  
At the crack of dawn, Medusa returned to her post. Everything was as she left it. Deactivating the vector shield around her crystal ball, she peered into it and saw that her prey had fallen asleep. Understandable; nobody in the right mind would stay up all day and night. Even if one tried, the mind and body wouldn't allow it.   
  
"Too bad this works to my advantage." Medusa smiled maliciously, eyes glowing in the dim chamber. "These children will be in for quite the surprise when they inevitably wake up." She then sensed magic power in her midst, followed by the sound of yawning and footsteps. "Right on schedule, everyone."  
  
Free walked up beside Medusa to see their targets sound asleep. “Sleeping on enemy territory? Not the wisest of ideas.” He chuckled as green and black electricity sparked over his Magic Eye. “Well, just give me the word, Medusa, and I can begin.”  
  
Eruka adjusted her hat, glancing restlessly between the Immortal and the Witch. She had been left in the dark about Medusa's obviously special plan for the fourth and final game. However, Eruka was too scared to voice her confusion. The last thing she needed was Medusa telling her snakes to rip her apart because constant questioning irritated her. Luckily, the Mizune Sisters were equally curious. "Chichichi?" All of them chorused, titling their bodies.  
  
"Hmm. I suppose I should explain myself." Medusa replied, bringing out the piece of Shaula's soul she retrieved yesterday. "Free and I are about to use a combination of Spatial Magic and Ouroboros to isolate those brats and make them..." The red snake from before slithered into the room with Atlas's soul, and she welcome it with a loving pet. "Fight themselves."  
  
The mouse witches and Eruka looked at each other before the former faced Medusa again. "Chichi?"  
  
A hiss was heard from Medusa, and Eruka froze up. Her throat suddenly became dry, and she held her breath, fearing Mizune said something out of line. "No, it is not mind control. It's much more than that." Medusa insisted. Calling it mind control meant she was in the same category as Shaula. What an insult to her caliber. "Rather, I'm using Ouroboros to temporarily draw out their innermost insecurities, flaws, faults, and such. Then Free is going to use his new spell to manifest them so they can fight. Not only will they be destroyed physically but mentally and emotionally too."  
  
Free positioned himself in front of the crystal ball and stretched his arms out to the side. "All right, Medusa, I'm ready."  
  
Medusa then took Atlas's Kishin Egg Soul, staring into the crystal ball to make sure they were still sleeping. "Eruka, I'm going to need your Arithmetic Magic. I want no slip-ups."  
  
"O-Okay..."  
  
Medusa carefully placed both souls against the crystal ball, and they phased through the surface as if it were water. Within the artefact, the two souls merged, and Medusa gave a nod to Free. With that, a dark green aura appeared around him. “Wolf wolves wolf wolves.” Green and black electricity crackled along his entire body as he generated the Magic Power needed for his spell, his Magic Eye glowing brightly.   
  
Medusa then gestured Eruka. Swallowing thickly, the frog witch nodded slightly. She took a deep breath and placed her hands together.  
  
“Arithmetic Magic: Magic Calculation.”  


* * *

  
  
_Sounds as soft as silk flooded the room. Each note was slow and deliberate, meant to prolong their inevitable death. But with another strike of the key, the notes were born anew, a delicate melody that refused to die. Towards the middle, they were joined by deeper, more booming notes. The walls seemed to shake as they commanded one’s attention, and the softer notes danced at their behest.  
  
At the crescendo, the melody sung out like a lone wolf crying out to the moon. Each deep cry filled the room, and the gentler notes could not compete, never to be heard again.  
  
A young boy dressed in black sat at a stool, leaning over a piano inside a dark room. The machine was like an elegant beast, brought to life by his delicate fingers. The sweet but sad music slowly reached its conclusion as the boy panted slightly. When he played, he did not play just music; he conveyed to whole world what was inside his soul.   
  
When he finished, he placed the fallboard over the piano's keyboard. “Even then, it’s still not enough to be better than him.”  
  
He heard the creak of a door and instantly looked toward the entrance to the room. He saw a flash of ashy blond withdraw behind the frame. “I saw you. Might as well face the music, pun not intended.”  
  
Slowly, a girl around his age advanced through the doorway. The first things he noticed were her two pigtails. “Um, I’m sorry to intrude… it’s just…” The girl paused to collect her thoughts. When she first heard the piano playing, she let the sadness of the music seep into her body and spread throughout her veins. It was creepy but oddly interesting, like cool icicles prickling her skin. “You played so beautifully.”  
  
He yawned, thinking nothing of it. “Yeah sure… What’s your name?”  
  
The girl smiled. “Maka. Maka Albarn.”  
  
He grinned, showing her his naturally sharp teeth. “Soul.”_  
  
Soul stirred as he heard some faint noises. Then, he felt something tight around his arm. He cracked open one of his eyes and saw a shivering Maka beside him. Her hands latched onto him like shackles, and her face contorted with fear, apparently having a bad dream. Soul couldn’t empathize with her like Crona, but it pained him to see strong and confident Maka like this. Comfortingly, Soul placed his own hand upon hers. “It’s okay, Maka. It’ll be all over soon.”  
  
“— _Hey_! I’m talking here!”  
  
Both Soul’s and Maka’s eyes snapped open. The voice sounded familiar,  _too_  familiar in fact. Sitting up at a slow pace, Maka and Soul laid eyes on their awakener, and their eyes dilated.  
  
“It’s about time you lovebirds woke up.” Maka Albarn said, sticking her tongue out and faking a gag. Smoky blackness danced around her body, making it appear black and purple. Leaning against a scythe of darkness, the apparition giggled sinisterly. “I’ve got so much to say and not enough time to do it.”   
  
Soul cautiously stood up, his brain trying to register what was before him. “I-It’s…”  
  
Maka palmed one of her cheeks, feeling the sweat running down her face. It was like looking in a mirror, a dark mirror at that. “M-Me.”  
  
Getting over his initial shock, Soul finally took note of the room they were in. An abyss of darkness, so rich in black that it made Soul wonder why visibility was normal and why he could plainly see the shadow of his meister standing before them. None of their friends and comrades were around.   
  
Soul gritted his sharp teeth. It looked like the game started while they were asleep. “All right, now what in the hell is going on?”  
  
“Oh, I’m not here for you, Soul.” Maka’s shadow pointed its scythe at the real one. “I’m here for the sniveling coward over there with a mother complex.”  
  
Soul instinctively stepped in front of his meister as his right arm turned into his scythe’s blade. His red eyes locked with the shadow’s purple ones, intense rage building up in them. “Back off. I won’t let you touch her.”  
  
Maka’s shadow laughed raucously as if Soul told the world’s greatest joke. By the time the mocking laughter died down, a wide grinned stretched across the shadow’s dark face, eyes widening as the pupil shrunk. Soul recognized that as the face Maka wore under the influence of the Black Blood. “Oh, Soul~ You’re so sweet. Always my knight in shining armor even when I can take care of myself. But, as the Meister, I order you to…”   
  
Soul readied himself, but when he made the slightest twitch, Maka’s shadow was already in front of him. “ _Move_!” The carbon copy drove its knee into his gut and sent him careening off to the side, leaving nothing between it and the real thing. Maka covered her mouth, trapping the scream welling up in her chest. She had to escape; however, the minute she turned around, her shadow placed its scythe around her neck.   
  
“Oh, no. I want you to stay here and listen to what I have to say.” Maka’s shadow spoke softly as though their conversation was supposed to be secret. It moved its scythe down to her chest and pulled her inward, the cutting edge narrowly breaking skin. Maka released a strained cry as her back hit her shadow. “You know, you really should stop worrying about other people and think about yourself for once.” The carbon copy whispered directly in her ear, placing its own hand over Maka’s. “That’s one of the reasons why you have so many insecurities right now. Failed to make Soul a Death Scythe? ‘People are going to think I suck for doing something so stupid.’ My friends are more skilled and have better techniques than me? ‘I can’t catch up no matter what. They’re better than me.’ Can’t beat a target or opponent you know you have to? ‘It’s all over. I failed dearest Mommy. I’m the worse Scythe Meister in the Academy’s history.’”  
  
Maka’s shadow pressed the blade in further, drawing blood. The girl squirmed, trying to get out of her shadow’s iron grip but to no avail. It only giggled as its eyes flashed sinisterly. “Speaking of Kami, you may be her blood, but you aren’t her. You’ll never be her. Sure, she’s your inspiration, but you take it too far at times. Oh, poor Spirit… all that undeserved hate he gets while the mother who apparently needs several months to clear her head gets all the praise.”  
  
The scythe sliced across Maka’s chest, spilling her blood. At the same time, the carbon copy pulled Maka’s hand away from her mouth. The scream finally came out – a loud, agonized one that echoed in the darkness. The girl fell to the ground, nursing her injury and curling into a ball. Her body shook uncontrollably as the pain ignited every nerve in her body. “Bah! You make me sick sometimes.” The shadow rolled its eyes, manic smile now gone, as it raised the scythe of darkness above its head. Maka still screaming and writing in pain was a pitiful sight. “A sorry little girl who’s not mature enough to handle her problems.”  
  
“ _I said don’t touch her_!” Closing the gap between himself and Maka’s shadow, Soul jabbed his scythe blade forward. Maka’s shadow barely blocked the attack and was forced to jump backwards to prevent further attacks. Soul glanced at his injured meister, and his heart ached. Gnashing his teeth together, he glared at the smugly-grinning shadow. “Damn you, why are you even here?!”  
  
“Aw, Soul, you party-pooper.” Maka’s shadow giggled again, resting its scythe of darkness across its shoulders. “Well, if you must know, I’m here to either break Maka or kill her. Whichever’s best. Right now, I’m still in the process of doing so, so can you not get in-between us ladies?”  
  
Soul assumed a battle stance, ready to wipe that look off of its face. “No way. That’s the only freebie you’re getting on Maka.” Carbon copy or not, this version of Maka was a monster, an emissary of Medusa. Since Soul was the only who could do something, it was up to him to protect Maka.   
  
“OK, fine then.” Maka’s shadow assumed a battle stance, the same one her real version used. “Make this fun for me, Soul Eater.”  


* * *

  
  
_“Father?”  
  
This was a question burning inside the head of young Death the Kid. So much so that he could not sleep until he asked it. So here he was, entering the Death Room in the middle of the night. His father, the God of Death and Order, turned away from his mirror and titled his head. “Kid? What are you doing up so late?”  
  
“I couldn’t sleep.” The young Shinigami said as he stood in front of the much taller man. “Father, what are Grim Reapers? What are our jobs? What is our purpose in life?”  
  
Lord Death figured it would come to this, but for Kid to ask the question so soon was a surprise. Nonetheless, since he was grooming Kid to be his next heir, he had to prepare him properly. “The answer is simple, Kid. We govern people’s lives and deaths. We’re the absolute existences which maintain order.” He looked off to the side, staring at one of the many clouds inside his personal pocket dimension. “Or that’s what they say, but that’s not it, Kid.” Lord Death had to constantly remind himself of their true role, passed down from generations of Death Gods since the beginning of order.  
  
Kid titled his head as he stared into the unreadable mask of his father. If the given definition wasn’t accurate, then what was the true one? Lord Death turned to Kid, looking him directly in his eyes. Kid had to figure this out on his own; if he did not, he would never understand.   
  
Kid thought about it. The governance of life and death, two equal but opposite constants in life.   
  
A balance.  
  
Kid’s eyes brightened up as a smile appeared on his face. “Understood, father. The point is balance!”_  
  
Gunshots rang, and multiple flashes of pink lit up the dark abyss. Kid moved as fast as he could, holding down the triggers to his pistol. The spiritual bullets either missed or shot down enemy bullets. Kid never encountered an enemy like this before. One that matched his marksmanship shot-for-shot. It was like fighting against a mirror image.   
  
Probably because he was.  
  
Soon, Kid and his shadow ceased firing, standing meters across each other, guns drawn. The young Reaper sweated, his brain trying to comprehend how and why such a being existed. His shadow, on the other hand, stared at him vacantly, almost bored with the prospect of fighting its true self. The shadow’s lips parted slightly to release a low sigh. Kid took note that the five vertical lines over its mouth never moved out of place.   
  
Kid’s shadow glanced at the darkness around them, finding more interest in it. “This darkness… It’s much like nothingness, don’t you agree?”  
  
Kid’s brow furrowed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”  
  
“It’s like nothingness in as much as there is no left nor right. It is a unity that exceeds symmetry insofar that it is the zenith of order.” Kid’s shadow explained. One of his hands then touched the purple skull that doubled as its tie. Skulls were the crest of Death’s Family. “The nothingness, shared amongst all living things, is death. If everything is gifted death, if everything is eliminated, then the perfect ‘order’ is achieved.”  
  
Kid’s grip on his pistols tightened. This imitation was perverting everything he and his father stood for. “You’re mad.”  
  
“Perhaps.” The carbon copy let his arm drop, looking at Kid straight in his eyes. “But isn’t symmetry your aesthetic? ‘Left’ and ‘right’ must be the same, must be constant, or else it’s asymmetrical, disgusting garbage. In your mind, “order’ is ‘symmetry.’ Hate to disappoint, but your mindset is utterly flawed.”  
  
Now it was insulting his very life’s creed. Kid’s head dipped a bit, the effect creating shadows over his face. His gilded eyes shone with righteous anger. This was not him, it couldn’t be. As such, he had no compunctions shattering this dark mirror. “Liz. Patty. Execution Mode.”  
  
As the trio began their Soul Resonance, Kid’s shadow only stood there, unfazed. “Here’s a corollary to that. You’re the future leader, but not everyone will see eye-to-eye with your beliefs. Your love for symmetry is far too unique. Differences bring about insurrection, and insurrection leads to fighting.”  
  
Kid aimed his twin cannons at his doppelganger as energy built up in the openings. It was either brave or foolish for not making any sort of movement. Kid’s shadow continued to talk, “Which brings me to my next point, are you even strong enough to protect the world? Your father can do it, but he’s unfortunately trapped. You, on the other hand, have freedom, but are you even ready? What if Kishin Eggs, Evil Humans, and Witches aren’t the only creatures you must be able to fight? What if there is something far more powerful that you’re expected to be capable of handling?”  
  
“Death Cannon.”  
  
The cannons fired with a deafening bang, the recoil making Kid slide back a few inches. The twin spheres of energy raced toward Kid’s shadow before slamming into it to create a giant explosion. The bright fire lit up the abyss as a skull-shaped cloud of smoke formed over the inferno.   
  
Liz removed her hand from her eyes after the bright flash disappeared. “Did that get him?”   
  
Kid let his arms drop, the cannons reverting back to normal pistols as he peered into the thick smoke. “I sure hope s—” He lost his voice when he saw his shadow step out of the plume, swatting smoke away from its face. Wounds and burn marks marred its body, but it kept walking as if they were a minor inconvenience. “You’re kidding me!”  
  
Kid’s shadow locked eyes with the shocked boy and smiled eerily. “If you think you can, I’m here to tell you you’re solely mistaken. Both your current level of skill and the way your mind works make you an inadequate leader.” It didn’t bother dodging Death Cannon just to prove that point. Kid couldn’t even decisively kill his own shadow with it. “Now then, let’s expose something else about you.”   
  
Kid’s shadow brought his feet together, raised one arm, and pointed the other down. Kid noted this position seemed vaguely similar to a combination of his ‘Crime’ and ‘Punishment’ stances. “Death God Martial Art: ‘Mad Crime’ Stance.”   
  
Without warning, the shadow darted at Kid, strafing left and right, at such speeds that Kid wasn’t sure when to pull the trigger in fear of missing. His hesitancy earned him two hard blows into his abdomen, knocking the wind out of him. Kid’s shadow then grabbed his shoulders, flipped over him, and then delivered a hard kick to the Shinigami’s exposed neck. Kid staggered forward, but he used his arms to help roll himself back to his feet, now facing his shadow again.  _“I can’t let him hit me like that again!”_  Kid thought, lungs working to reclaim lost oxygen. He unleashed barrage after barrage of gunshots for his shadow, who repeatedly dodged them. After a few seconds of this, the carbon copy fired its own shots, but Kid managed to avoid them.   
  
“Hold still!” A growl escaping him, Kid sidestepped another retaliatory shot and fired more blasts. Kid’s shadow smirked coolly as he blocked the blasts with his pistols. Kid examined the motions too closely. His shadow moved its arms in a manner that created perfect symmetry. One wave of its arm was mirrored by the other.  _“How can something so dastardly be so perfect?”_  For the briefest of seconds, Kid stopped firing, and that moment was all the doppelganger needed.   
  
In a flash, Kid’s shadow caused the gap between them and placed one pistol against his forehead. A loud bang echoed through the abyss as the shadow pulled the trigger. Kid’s head jerked backwards, taking his whole body with him. He hit the floor with an audible thud, blood starting to fall from his forehead. He gritted his teeth, trying to ignore the pain. “You fired… one-handed?”   
  
Kid’s shadow now stood above him, a sinister smirk forming on its face. “Does that bother you?” It then shot Kid in one of his legs, this time with the other pistol, just to annoy its real self. He had to commend Kid, he wasn’t going to give it that scream of agony it yearned to hear. “Of course it does… Even when facing the worst of the worse, you’ll keel over if they show that symmetry you love so dearly.”  
  
Kid’s shadow crouched down, jabbing one pistol each into where his AC joints were. “You are not worthy to rule this world.” Its purple eyes flashed with malice, steadying its trigger fingers. When Liz and Patty heard the telltale, preparatory clicks, their eyes widened, knowing the worst was coming.   
  
“ _KID_!”  


* * *

  
  
Tsubaki ran as fast as she could, but it seemed the darkness was endless. There was no door, no exit, and no way out. This was bad. Having to carry around an unwilling Meister caused enough problems, but she also faced something neither she nor Blackstar were prepared for.   
  
Just then, she felt a strong sting in her left leg. With a squeak, Tsubaki fell over. That was the freshest of many cuts all over her body, all of which bled slightly. Blackstar laid beside her, nothing more than dead weight thanks to his undying need to do nothing.   
  
“Tsubaki, just stop so I can deal with my real self. Then we can play this game as long as you’d like.” Some of the darkness in front of her moved, like ripples in a puddle, as a black and purple clone of Blackstar emerged from it. Seeing her struggle, it finally found its chance. The shadow walked over, grabbed a fistful of Blackstar’s hair, and yanked him toward it. “Hey, I know Medusa cursed you all but open those ears of yours and hear what I gotta say. That whole ‘I’m gonna surpass God’ act ain’t cute, pal. It pisses off everyone around you. Nobody really takes you seriously even after you punch ‘em in the face. With that attitude, nobody’s ever gonna recognize your skills and strength. But you know what they  _do_  see?”  
  
Blackstar’s shadow grinned as one of its eyes turned into a glowing star. “The last scion of the Star Clan, a demon in human skin, a little boy who’s practically  _designed_  to be pitied! You say you don’t care… but I wonder. What’s beneath that superhuman body? That ‘holier-than-thou’ attitude? That genius of hard work and effort? Ah, yes.. there it is. Arrogance coming from a need to gain recognition. You want to set yourself apart from your clan. You don’t want to be feared. You want to be beloved! But here’s something we both agree on.”  
  
The shadow threw Blackstar to the ground, his grin widening. “That’s impossible! So you might as well stick with what ya got!” All the while, he failed to realize a chain snaking up his leg and back, going for his neck. “Nothing’s gonna change! It’s  _hopeless_!”  
  
The second it stopped talking, the blade of the chain-scythe appeared before the shadow’s neck. “What the-?!”   
  
“Be quiet!” Tsubaki yanked the chain with one hand, resulting in the chain-scythe slicing the shadow’s neck open. No blood was spilled, but the effect was all the same. Within seconds, Blackstar’s shadow couldn’t breathe, and it felt extremely lighthearted. Ultimately, the copy fell backwards, its body fading away into darkness.   
  
Tsubaki transformed her ponytail back to normal, panting slightly. She hunched over, placing her hands on her knees. Her many cuts still throbbed, but she had long grown accustomed to the pain. “Blackstar is none of that… He’s fine as he is, and he still has many great friends, including me.”  
  
She hobbled over to Blackstar and put him back on her back. That was one problem down, now to find out how to leave this abyss. “Tsubaki.” She heard his low, unenthusiastic voice and stopped moving so she could grant him her full attention. “Thanks, you hear?”  
  
Tsubaki smiled warmly. “Anytime.”  


* * *

  
  
_All thirty, uniformed students sat stiffly in their seats. As the instructor passed out yesterday’s graded exams, the floorboards creaked with every footstep. For each slap of the paper on a desk, children either slumped in relief, shook in despair, or hung their heads low in shame. They knew the procedures at this school, and they wondered why their parents sent them here.  
  
Once all scores had been distributed, the teacher returned to the front where the student council was. Her back faced the class as she spoke in a low voice, “Those with A’s are free to go. Those with B’s step to the front. All those with anything lower than a B please follow the Student Council president.”  
  
The lucky few with A’s immediately grabbed their belongings and scurried out, thanking the heavens they escaped punishment. The Student Council left after they did. A whole line of students followed them, crying their eyes out and hugging each other comfortingly.    
  
Ox watched the line disappear beyond the doorstep. Every time a major exam was announced, the Student Council was notified in advance. Whenever students failed to meet certain criteria, they were in charge of disciplinary actions. They had the administration’s blessings, so they used whatever force they could. As he and a couple others walked to the front of the room, Ox flinched when he heard distant screams and cries.   
  
“You’d think they’d learn.” A baritone voice said. Ox looked beside him to see a boy his age wearing sunglasses over his eyes. “You got a B too? Worse we’ll get is corporeal punishment. Best is scolding. Even then, you get used to that after a while.”  
  
The teacher slammed a paddle onto one of the desks, the crack destroying all sound in the room as the students faced forward. “Ford! Éclair! Silence yourselves!” Once order had been reestablished, she folded her arms behind her back. “The B Grade… Some say it’s perfectly acceptable, proof that one succeeded in something difficult. I, however, disagree. It’s a stain. A stigma. You could’ve gotten an A if you applied yourself more! Worked harder!”   
  
The teacher stared at the students with piercing green eyes, barely curtained by forelocks of chestnut hair. “I’ve said it time and time again, but I will say it once more. We at Washington Boarding School aim to bring out the full capacity of your brain and to discipline you, the future leaders, into going beyond the status quo. Your intellect is your greatest weapon in life.”_  
  
Lightning flashed and thunder roared as two fighters fought without rest. Just like the dark clouds during a storm, the darkness was lit up by the lightning. In the middle of the calamity, Harvar – one of his arms transformed into his spearhead – clashed with Ox’s shadow.   
  
“I bet Ox feels pretty low without that precious intelligence of his!” the doppelganger yelled as it and Harvar locked weapons. “It’s all he has. Without it, he’s nothing but a weird nerd who can’t get a clue.”  
  
“I’m getting sick of you.” Harvar said with a bite, eyes brimming with hatred. Taking a hard step forward, the Demon Spear pushed the shadow back. “We both know better than to listen to the ravings of a faker crafted by Medusa.”  
  
Ox’s shadow then set its sight on his real self, who lied on the floor rolling back and forth idly. He chuckled, finding entertainment in something so pitiful. “Is that so?” It then dashed to Ox, brandishing its electrified spear. Harvar instincts kicked in, and he surged in front of the copy to protect his meister. However, that was exactly what the shadow wanted. It swung and released all of the black lightning stored in its purple spear, knocking Harvar far back.  
  
Ignoring the groaning Demon Weapon some meters away, the imitation approached Ox and forced their bespectacled eyes to meet. “Ever heard this, Ox? I hope in your sorry state you can comprehend this…  You’re scared of having your perfect record tarnished, aren’t you? Beyond that everyday bumbling fool is a raging perfectionist who fears failure. I know what goes through your mind every time you study for a test or a quiz.”  
  
The shadow stood up, stabbing the blunt end of the spear into the floor. “‘If I fail, what will everything think of me? My only good quality is gone and has been compromised. I’m not the genius I’m known to be.’” Ox’s shadow frowned and wiped his mouth as if its real self’s innermost thoughts disgusted it. “Get over yourself. Perfection is unobtainable.”  
  
In the midst of its ranting, Ox’s shadow failed to catch Harvar getting up and charging right at it. “You need to shut your  _mouth_!” The Demon Spear drove his transformed arm into the shadow’s torso, the same location where he stabbed Kim under the Moral Manipulation Machine’s effect; he knew that was one of the most vital locations in the human body. Ox’s copy released a strained groan as it forced itself off of Harvar’s spearhead and staggered backwards.   
  
Harvar’s face remained cold and uncaring as always. “And don’t touch my Meister anymore. Got that?” At Washington Boarding School, Ox somehow managed to convince that sadistic student council president Harvar was innocent of a rule violation. This was after even a teacher couldn’t prove it. Ever since, Harvar swore loyalty to him, even when he decided to transfer to the Academy.   
  
Ox’s shadow coughed as darkness began to swallow its being. Since death was inevitable, it had to ram its message home. “Don’t coddle me, Harvar. You cannot run from the truth.”  


* * *

  
  
Tsuji and Marcellus lied side-by-side, eyes shut and unaware of everything around them. Marcellus had his arms crossed behind his head, using them as makeshift pillows, with one leg propped up and the other crossed over it. Tsuji was in a similar position, but he wasn’t asleep. He tried to get some rest, but his uneasy mind prevented that. “Yo, Marcellus?”   
  
The African-American teen snorted a little, disliking that his nap was interrupted. “What, Tsuji?”  
  
“Man, you were totally right back outside,” Tsuji admitted, “We really shoulda bailed when we had the chance.”  
  
Marcellus inaudibly winced as if the words struck him in a sensitive spot. What normally should be a compliment felt like a stinging insult. “Don’t say that please. What’s done is done.” Honestly, Tsuji’s words made it sound like he could have done something to prevent this but chose not to – acts he had committed in the past. “You still hung up on being cursed?”  
  
“Yeah…”  
  
“Don’t be. Find a way to be useful. You’ll feel better when you do.”  
  
Tsuji thought about it. At a school like the Academy, even weak NOT students had some use. Using Marcellus was an example, he wasn’t a fighter, but his intelligence and his Forms’ utility compensated for that. So, the Bow Meister needed to figure out what other useful qualities he had other than marksmanship. He still had his agility and athleticism, and his kicks were strong. Other than that, perhaps he could use Marcellus’s Javelin Form like a makeshift polearm.   
  
Marcellus cracked his eyes open halfway, noticing Tsuji didn’t say anything. His vision was a little blurry from keeping them closed for some time. He swore he saw something glinting orange, but he dismissed it. It was not important. “So, figure anything—”  
  
"Wakey-wakey!"  
  
Hearing the piercing of flesh and his meister crying out, Marcellus’s eyes snapped open, and he shot up into a sitting position. To his surprise, there was a clone of Tsuji standing above him. Except for its glowing orange eyes, the imitation was black and purple. With a manic grin, the doppelganger pressed an arrow into Tsuji's ribs. The Bow Meister, face contorted in pain, kept a tight hold on the purple arrow so it wouldn't go any farther.  
  
"Try and not be useless all you want, but it don't change the fact you stepped into some stuff you weren't ready for." Tsuji's shadow laughed as it twisted the arrow, relishing in the strained grants Tsuji made.  
  
"H-hey! Get off him!" Marcellus sprang to his feet, but Tsuji's shadow was faster. The minute the Demon Bow stood tall, the copy lifted one of its legs and kicked Marcellus right in his chest. The shadow’s heel struck like a sledgehammer and, for a brief moment, the world went white around Marcellus as he landed on his back. Writhing on the floor as he struggled to breath, the Demon Bow wondered how much of a fake that copy was. That kick certainly hurt as much as the real deal.   
  
That done, Tsuji’s shadow looked at its real self, and its maniacal smile disappeared, replaced with an expression of pity. “So it’s all caught up to you, huh, Tsuji? Thought your aim was the greatest thing since sliced bread, and now it’s gone. You paid for your hubris… But!” The dastardly smirk returned when it forced the arrow deeper into Tsuji’s body. “That’s not even the half of it. While this may sound out of the blue for other people, you are someone who’s always had doubts about being a Meister. If you aren’t facing something you can handle, you freak out a little, but you try to repress it. It works for a little while, but now the cat’s outta the bag! It’s a holdover of that scared little boy and his sister that got attacked by that Kishin Egg five years ago.”  
  
Marcellus managed to listen to and comprehend all that Tsuji’s shadow was saying. “W-What?”   
  
The shadow stopped and looked at the African-American. “You mean I never told you, Marcellus? Shame on me! I’m not a total bigshot like I act. Well, I’m better than Rowena, but that’s not important right now. You saw how badly I lost it at the puzzle, right? Now tell me, would Tsuji Ricardsen act like that without an ulterior reason?”  
  
Now that he thought about, Marcellus agreed that it was very strange for someone like Tsuji to suddenly go off the deep end like that. “Will you be quiet!?” Tsuji exclaimed, bringing up one of his legs and driving it into his shadow’s gut. The doppelganger was sent careening backwards, giving Tsuji time to remove the arrow and apply pressure to the wound with his hand. “Like we’re goin’ to sit here and listen to some recolor with the wrong eye color!”   
  
Tsuji’s shadow caressed the sore spot as it shot a glare. Without a response, it aimed an arrow at Tsuji and fired. Eyes widening in surprise, the Bow Meister barreled to the right, but the arrow grazed his shoulder. Stumbling to keep himself on his feet and to keep moving, Tsuji placed a hand on the bleeding wound. His shadow proceeded to fire more arrows, each adding another cut to the human’s body.   
  
When one in particular nicked his leg, Tsuji finally lost his balance and fell on his side. “God damn it…!” He pushed himself up. As much as he hated to admit it, his shadow’s marksmanship, and therefore its validity as a clone, was spot-on; even though he was moving fast, the arrows never missed completely.   
  
Tsuji’s shadow relaxed its aiming stance and glowered at the panting human. “Stop trying to deny things. That’s the whole reason why I’m here.”  
  
Tsuji scoffed, rolling his eyes. “No. The reason why you’re here is cuz Medusa’s being a bitch.”  
  
“That’s not important right now.”  
  
Tsuji gritted his teeth. Anger, frustration, fear – those were but three emotions this whole mission brought about, and the whole storm was rushing at him all at once. “Just…  _just leave_!”  
  
Tsuji’s shadow cracked his knuckles, raring for a fight. “Just make me.”  


* * *

  
  
_"Kirikou! To Mr. Ricardsen’s room!"  
  
Kilik ceased fighting another student to glare at the intervening teacher. With an irritated sigh, he released his opponent, shoved his fists into his pockets, and walked off. "I know the way."  
  
Kilik didn't know why he was so mad at the world, why after only a few months of enrollment he was in the Correctional Class. Perhaps he was venting. He was rather frustrated with how things went between his parents. It wasn't fair that, out of the whole population, he got a father who's never around. His mother tried so hard, but it just wasn't enough.  
  
The 12-year-old boy was so deep in thought he never noticed someone in front of him. He bumped into a tall African man with an afro. "Watch where you're going!" As soon as the words left him, Kilik instantly regretted it. Death Scythe Dengu Dinga curiously turned around and looked down at him. With him was Death Weapon Meister Alexandre. "Er.. Never mind. I wasn't paying attention."  
  
"Oh, it's quite all right." Dengu nonchalantly waved his hands at Alexandre's legs. "As long as you did not scare the little ones."  
  
At this point, Kilik noticed two little kids hiding their faces with Alexandre's pant legs. He made out a blob of orange and yellow hair. They slowly peeked around their havens to make eye contact, only to retreat once met with Kilik's piercing eyes.  
  
“They yours?” He asked, exchanging glances between them.  
  
Dengu shook his head. “No, no, you mistaken. We found them after a mission, and we’re simply giving them a home.”  
  
“They were lost in a middle of a village in Africa,” Alexandre added in, “Couldn’t leave the little ones behind with no one to look after them.”  
  
Kilik’s gaze lingered at the twins. He then closed his eyes, thinking about his own problems in life. “No. No, you can’t.”_  
  
While Kilik may have only cared about himself back then, his heart bled for Fire and Thunder. They were lost, scared, alone, and in need of guidance at their tender ages. Fueled by the desire to be a better role model than his dad, Kilik made them his partners, cleaned up his act, and returned to Class Crescent Moon. He'd take a bullet for them.  
  
And, right now, he had taken at least several of them. Both made of fire and lightning.  
  
“Kilik! Kilik! Wake up!” The Pot Twins shook the fallen Utility Meister, but he was too injured to move. “It’s coming! It’s coming!  
  
“Yeah, get up, you sorry excuse of a Meister!” Kilik’s shadow was stomping over, each of its black and purple gauntlets brimming with flames and electricity. “Worry about your daddy issues later. We’re fighting right now!”  
  
Pot of Fire turned to face the shadow, face contorting with anger. “Can’t you see he’s hurt? Leave him alone!”  
  
“Sorry, kids, this is grown-up talk. Stay out of this.” Kilik’s shadow approached the three, bent down, grabbed the Pot Twins, and casually tossed them aside. Then, he secured a fistful of Kilik’s shirt and hoisted him up so they were face-to-face. “Hey, you still with me? You still thinking about the past? Snap back to the present, Kilik.” The copy used its available hand to generate energy, getting ready to finish this. “This is your last moments of it after all. Medusa’s orders.”  
  
The Pot Twins regrouped with each other, gasping when they saw the copy preparing to kill Kilik. “Thunder, we gotta do something!” Fire certainly didn’t want to see it end like this. The boy started tearing up, and his voice cracked a little. “I-I don’t wanna see Kilik die...”  
  
Fear for the worst gripping her, Thunder shakily beheld the sight. They couldn’t let this happen to Kilik, one of the people she was closest to. Just then, the blond girl thought of something. “Fire! Blow fire in its face!”  
  
“Okay!” Pot of Fire quickly scuttled over to Kilik’s shadow and latched onto its pant leg, pulling at it. “Leave Killy alone!”  
  
Kilik’s shadow groaned, slowly looking down to the nuisance on his leg. “Kid, buzz off.”  
  
The minute it showed its face, Pot of Fire breathed fire on it. The shadow immediately dropped Kilik and screamed in pain. Its whole head felt like it was stuck in a furnace, burning its skin and the bones under it. Flailing around, the shadow covered its face, unable to stop its cries of agony. “Y-You little brat! How dare you!”   
  
Once Kilik’s shadow had stopped moving around like a dying roach, Pot of Thunder inconspicuously climbed up its back. She then saturated her fingers with her own saliva. “Wet willy!” She jammed them into the shadow’s earholes, sending a small electric shock directly into the shadow’s brain. The copy’s muscles tensed up and its mind shut down. Thunder jumped off, and Kilik’s shadow slowly fell on its side, darkness swallowing its being.  
  
“We did it! We did it!” The Pot Twins ran over to each other and shared high-fives in a pattycake-esque fashion.  
  
Kilik, conscious enough to have seen it all, smiled softly to himself.  _“They’re growing up.”_  


* * *

  
  
_“Aunt Katrina?”  
  
A young Caius watched with a dull expression as his 35-year-old aunt jerked back to life. She had fallen asleep trying to write her book. Again. Releasing a small yawn, the blue-haired woman looked at her youngest nephew while rubbing one of her carmine red eyes. “Can I help you, Caius?”  
  
“W-Well,” Caius fiddled with his fingers, trying to form the right words. Sure, they were blood, but Katrina was considered ‘The Greatest Vladingham.’ Naturally, he was a bit nervous around someone with such an accolade. “Auntie, what’s the hardest part about trying to be good at something?”  
  
Katrina already had the answer ready. For better or worse. “The part where you almost lose yourself.”  
_  
  
Caius and his shadow raced at each other, and they locked lances with a loud clang, only to separate and keep attacking. Eyes focused on the other, they looked for something, anything, to get an edge. Caius’s shadow, unfortunately, was the first to think of something. It swung low, sweeping Caius off of his feet. As he landed on his back, the shadow lifted its black lance over its head. Alarmed, the Vladingham quickly rolled out of the way, making the copy stab into the ground instead.  
  
The Lance Meister returned to his feet and again charged at his shadow. The two swung again, but to Caius’s surprise, the shadow's was engulfed in purple flames. On contact, the flames exploded, sending a screaming Caius flying back.  
  
He hit the ground with a thud as his fallen lance clattered on the floor. "O-Ow! That  _burns_!" Claudia’s form shook as she herself tried to rub out the burning sensation she felt on her body. "W-what was that?"  
  
"So my cheap knockoff gets everything while I don't?" Caius sat up, feeling the hot embers he normally would have been resistant to. Then again, he shouldn't be surprised given Medusa’s track record.  
  
“Can you not fight better than that…?” His shadow stood in the same spot, unmoving and unblinking. “Shameful… It is not enough, and in the back of your mind, you know that. Your closed heart may have been wrenched open, but that is far from the end of your problems.”  
  
Caius rose to his feet, assuming his battle stance again. “If you’re talking about my vendetta with Cancer, spare me. I’m going to make her pay, I’m going to kill her and avenge the Vladinghams. Period, point, blank, and no one is going to stop me.”  
  
The shadow slowly approached its real self, seemingly in no hurry or in no danger. “Revenge… the most pitiable, self-destructive motivation known to man. Let us dissect what you said. ‘Make her pay,’ ‘kill her,’ and ‘avenge’… You call it justice, but it is actually a blind form of it. You walk the path of vengeance.”  
  
Tired of the drivel, Caius sprinted toward his shadow, but it blocked his swing. Its guard was up the entire time. “It is a sad, lonely road that corrupts man and breeds endless hatred.” The doppelganger generated more fire on its lance and blasted Caius away. “As you are, you’re far too steeped in vengeful anger to realize what will happen. What will become of you in the end when revenge is all you have? Or if you manage to kill Cancer? You will be nothing but a cold, bitter, and world-weary man. Or perhaps worse.”   
  
“Will you be quiet?!” Claudia shrieked, hoping this would buy Caius time to recover. “You know nothing! He's very lucky to be alive, and I'm very lucky to have him as a partner! And as his Weapon partner, I will help him avenge his family no matter what! I can assure you on that!"  
  
Caius’s shadow formed a smile without feeling. “Oh, Claudia. You’d jump off a bridge if I wanted you to. And such bold talk coming from a little girl who's rather useless.”  
  
Claudia growled, unable to retaliate. That’s twice a Caius struck her where it really hurt. The Lance Meister himself managed to get back on his feet again. Tired he was, this was a fight for survival – how he felt was irrelevant. “Enough talk. Let’s hurry up and finish this.”  
  
Caius’s shadow sighed in irritation. His eyes glinted, a flash of killer intent. "So, my words failed to break you. Perhaps my flames will."  
  
Caius tried to fight back, he really did, but the shadow slowly wore away at his endurance. The fire burned hot, its strikes were hard, and Caius was losing energy fast. His technique became sloppy; he missed blows and was hit by some he normally could handle.   
  
All the while, Claudia could only watch in horror. As it stood, there was nothing either of them could do, especially her. She gasped when she saw Caius get cut on the side of his face. He fell to the darkened floor again, dropping his weapon as he placed a hand on his fresh wound. Caius gritted his teeth, trying to stay strong. Burns, cuts, stabs, and hits – almost every sort of pain imaginable racked his body. He looked up to see his shadow slowly walking to him, black flames dancing around its lance.  
  
Claudia's heart sank. She recognized that look. The look of someone full of pain and suffering who tries desperately to hide it.  
  
The same look Constance had on her face.  
  
It all rushed back to her again. “N-no…” Her voice was barely above a whisper. A friend was in danger, but she didn’t know what to do. And, if she did, would she just cause more pain?  _“I-I gotta think of something.. We can’t die here!”_  Calling herself crazy, something needed to be done. Now could she do to help out? She wasn’t really as resourceful as she claimed. Honestly, dancing was about the only thing she excelled at, and she had stopped doing that long ago.  
  
“Dancing…”  
  
The light bulb went off in her head.  _“That’s it!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maka’s, Kid’s, and Caius’s parts will be finished in part two. Part two will also have what Rowena, Kim, and Crona go through. Especially Crona, whose will probably take up most of the chapter. Also, Tsuji’s part is done. I just won’t be showing how his shadow will be defeated, I’ve already said everything I needed to.


	30. Self and Shadow: The Unknown You (Part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This two-parter is finally complete, and I’m terrible sorry for the longer-than-usual wait. I have an excuse, I swear!
> 
> First off, if you’ve been following my DeviantArt journals, you’ll know that on top of a supreme workload between school and football, my house got robbed and my laptop was one of the unfortunate victims. I eventually got a new one, which is how I was able to finish and ship this out, but that took a few weeks.
> 
> As for the chapter itself, because of the many things going on, I apologize if it doesn’t seem up to par… I honestly wanted to get this chapter over with and wasn’t too big on the action. I’ll make up for it.
> 
> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story

**Self and Shadow: The Unknown You (Part 2)**  
  
 _“Now don’t try to struggle. It’ll all be over soon.”  
  
Her expression plain and unreadable, Crona watched as Medusa tightened her vectors’ grip on the man. It felt like the same scenario with that old man, but this time, the ‘man’ was nothing more than a creature reduced to unintelligent growling and thrashing. Medusa called these things Evil Humans.   
  
She laid eyes on Crona and spoke in an even tone. “Crona, like usual, you’re going to kill him. But once you’re done, have Ragnarok eat its soul.”  
  
Both individuals stared at Medusa in disbelief. Was that even possible? She looked back at them, and a scowl formed on her face, growing impatient. Ragnarok quickly knocked on Crona’s head like a door. “Earth to Crona! W-We got work to do.” Ragnarok’s body turned into black liquid before transforming into a sword.  
  
Crona took it and stared vacantly at the target. Crona had no emotional attachment to it, which thankfully made this all too easy. “Please can you keep quiet?” The young one raised the black and white sword, tired of the incessant noises. “I can’t handle something that isn’t quiet.”   
  
The blow came so fast, nobody expected it. Blood poured out from the diagonal cut, staining the floor as the creature writhed in pain. Crona removed Ragnarok from the Evil Human and watched the life fade from its eyes. Its body turned pitch-black and unraveled like string, leaving a bright red Soul in its place.   
  
Medusa smiled, the faint red glow reflecting off her gold eyes. Sweet, sweet Crona was becoming more and more compliant. “Now, Ragnarok, your turn. Enjoy your treat.”  
  
Ragnarok returned to his default form and looked at the Evil Soul from all angles. “Well, all right then.” He opened his mouth wide and ate the soul in one chomp. It had no flavor, and Ragnarok was tempted to spit it back out, but he saw Medusa watching expectantly. Not wanting to face the consequences, Ragnarok forced himself to swallow.  
  
The feeling of the soul down his throat, the rich texture, ignited his pleasure senses. His mouth watered, stomach growled, and he felt his own soul pulse with a powerful sensation. He felt stronger, hungry for more. Forget taste;  _this_  was amazing. “Yummy! Can I have more?”  
  
As Ragnarok consumed the Evil Soul, Crona shivered, growing cold all of a sudden, and looked at Medusa with watery eyes. “What.. Happened?”  
  
“Nothing, Crona. That’ll go away eventually.” Medusa replied unconcernedly. Since Meister and Weapon shared a body, Crona would naturally feel Ragnarok eating pure souls. All according to plan. If things kept up like this, a Kishin was all but assured. “Come, Crona. It’s time for dinner.”  
  
“Y-Yes, Lady Medusa.”   
  
Medusa watched as her child left the room. She would deal with the mess later. In fact, she wanted to admire it, at how smoothly things were going for her. The snake witch glanced at the spot where the Evil Human once was with a face-distorting smile.   
  
“You should feel proud. Your genes helped me create the perfect subject.”_  
  
“…rona!  _Crona_!”  
  
The pink-haired meister’s eyes slowly opened, barely able to make out the surrounding area. Crona was still sleepy and hardly heard Ragnarok yelling.   
  
With a frustrated growl, Ragnarok grounded his hands into Crona’s skull. “Wake up, you numbskull!”  
  
Crona jolted into a sitting position, hands shooting to Ragnarok’s in an attempt to pry them away. The inhuman Weapon simply kept at it, applying pressure on the fellow’s temples. “R-Ragnarok! Stop! I’m awake now!”  
  
“Good!” Ragnarok took a fistful of Crona’s pink hair and forced his meister to look around. “So take a look at this dark shithole we’re in! Medusa did something while we were asleep!”  
  
Crona gasped, quickly standing up and staring into the dark abyss blacker than even Ragnarok’s skin. Crona called out for Maka, Soul, Kid, and the others, but the only replies were echoes. Crona gripped its arm tightly, body beginning to shake. “It’s so dark. I-I can’t handle the darkness!” The area reminded of Crona on the room Medusa always stuffed them in whenever they disobeyed an order, and she knew that. This was a sick, cruel joke.  
  
Ragnarok shook Crona’s head, this time more lightly. This wasn’t a time to revisit the past and old nightmares. “Come on, Crona, if you don’t get your head in the game—”  
  
“So pathetic.”  
  
Both Crona and Ragnarok felt a wave of killer intent, penetrating deep into their skin, freezing their bodies. Color faded from Crona’s face. The Sword Meister had encountered many people ready to kill at the drop of hat. Even Medusa might be given pause at this.   
  
Crona mustered the ability to finally turn around. Pale blue eyes locked with deep purple, a person meeting a reflection.   
  
An ear-to-ear grin stretched across the face of Crona’s shadow, an expression of insanity, as its head dipped slightly. “Hey Crona. How is it like to be a failure in your mother’s eyes?”  
  
Crona took a cautious step back. “What are you talking about?”  
  
“She put a lot of effort into making you into the perfect Kishin and then you up and abandoned her.” Crona’s shadow giggled, eyes darting back and forth out of undue paranoia. “That’s so cruel of you, especially when we _all_  know you’re nothing without her.” A purple and black sword jutted out of its hip, and it seized it. “You’re nothing but a sniveling coward. At least Medusa’s treatment gave you a bit of independence, taught you how to make life-or-death decisions on the fly. At the Academy, you’re pretty much being babied.  _Dis_ honorable mention goes to Maka and Marie.”  
  
Crona was sure this thing was trying to play with its mind. It could do it all it wanted to, but the swordsman wasn’t going to accept it deriding the people that showed it real kindness. “That’s not true!” At this point, Ragnarok dematerialized into his sword form, and Crona took it, knowing a fight was inevitable. “Go ahead and say all those lies if you want, but the time I’ve spent at the Academy were  _much_  better than every waking moment with Medusa! I’m not scared, I’m not scared at all!”   
  
Crona’s shadow chuckled, humored. Nothing more than token resistance, just like when Crona and Marie confronted Medusa and Stein. “You say that now…” The imitation raised the fingers of its free hand, and the floor rippled like water. “But let’s see how you react once I plant the terror into your soul.”  
  
Suddenly, as if icicles penetrated deep into his skin, Ragnarok shivered in Crona’s hand. He could feel a presence similar to him appearing, a sensation he hadn’t felt since they were forced to murder a strong Monster. “Crona, don’t you wimp out,” he whispered pleadingly, “because this is about to get ugly.”  
  
A mass of blackness and vector arrows emerged from behind Crona’s shadow. Quickly, it condensed into a solid form. A large black and grey entity that resembled a clown now hovered behind the imitation. The creature gazed at the pink-haired fellow, a hint of amusement ghosting its face.   
  
Crona took Ragnarok’s advice, and the appearance of the being did not faze it at all. “What is… that?”  
  
Crona’s shadow lifted a slender hand and caressed the black clown, earning a strange mix between a purr and a laugh. “Did you think Lady Medusa would up and stop just because you decided to tuck tail and turn coat? She already achieved her first goal in putting a static world in motion.” Another mad smile. “Now, she is on to the next phase. She’s had to backtrack and cut corners since you left, but now she doesn’t care what happens to you. And it’s my job to eradicate you.”  
  
The swordsman formed a glare. “What is she planning? What does she know that she never told me?”  
  
Crona received no answer as the black clown reverted into a mass of blackness and vector arrows, swarming around the shadow like a plague of locusts. All Crona’s shadow did was grin at the prospect. “Madness Fusion.” The clown fitted itself around the entity like a glove, adding yet another layer of darkness. The body beneath writhed, and bone-cracking was heard, until two arms burst open from its back. Energy hummed as armor fragments formed around its neck and three distinct swords appeared in the newly-formed arms and one of the shadow’s.   
  
Finding the sight and sound disturbing, Crona’s stomach churned; a stark contrast to the prolonged sigh its shadow was releasing. Soon enough, the process ended, and Crona’s shadow stood proudly, merged with the black clown.   
  
“I’ve got an even worse feeling about this.” Ragnarok whispered. The shadow may have simply gained two extra arms and some fancy protection, but the former Demon Sword could feel the danger radiating from the creature.   
  
“To answer your question, Crona…” the shadow slowly raised all three of its weapons, “You’re going to die anyway, so there’s no need to know!” With a single stroke, each blade released a solid black shockwave. “Screech Delta!”  
  
Crona did not even have time to blink; when one hit, the other two followed up. No skin was broken, but the sheer force was felt all the down to the bone, ringing, throbbing. Crying out, Crona skid across the ground, only coming to a stop when Crona stabbed Ragnarok into the ground to stop itself.   
  
“On your feet, Crona!” barked out Ragnarok, who watched the shadow sprint over. “Here it comes! Get ready to defend!”  
  
Thankful for the warning, Crona quickly stood and held the sword up. The shadow clashed blades with the force of a truck. It continued to move forward while Crona skidded backwards, unable to stand its ground. A gasp escaped Crona when it saw one of the additional swords twitch. “Screech Beta.”  
  
The sword was brought down in a crushing arc, a monstrous mouth following the trail. An explosion blew both fighters back, the shadow landing on its feet and Crona on its back. Ragnarok growled, disliking how one-sided this fight seemed. “Get it together, Crona! It’s just using basic stuff on you! You’re better than this!”  
  
An idea popped into Crona’s shadow’s head. “You’re right, Ragnarok, I  _am_  just using the basic stuff.” The imitation released a few cackles. “Maybe it’s time we just cut to the chase. Am I right?” The shadow peeked at the two through its tousled bangs. “Did you know my blood is black?”  
  
The floor under the shadow rippled like the ocean beneath a storm. And like it, it grew worse and worse by the second. A tsunami of blackness erupted from behind Crona’s shadow. “Mad Blood.” Tall figures with vertical eyes and drooling mouths appeared among the tidal wave, all wanting Crona and Ragnarok to be their next victims. Setting their sights on them, Mad Blood surged toward them.   
  
It came much faster than either Crona or Ragnarok expected. By the time the former moved, the wave of Black Blood crashed down upon them. The currents came one after the next, sending Crona deeper and deeper into the depths of Mad Blood. Unable to fight back, Crona could feel it – the insanity warring with sanity, trying to break its mind all over again. As Crona’s vision went black, his pleas for help went unheard.  
  
“M-Maka… H-Help me….”  
  
Ragnarok, on the other hand, had other plans. He wasn’t ready to die, to lose to some knockoff, to let Medusa get her wish. He exited his weapon form and covered Crona’s face with his own body, acting as a sort of shield against the Black Blood and Madness all around them. “Damn it, Crona! Don’t you die on me!” Even that was difficult. He too was feeling himself getting lost in the darkness. “Come on, Ragnarok. Think, think, think! How the hell do we get out of this?!”  
  
Ragnarok was not a planner, but something came to mind instantly.  _“Wait, if that clown thing is made of Black Blood… and I’m made of the stuff too… Gah! My head hurts, so I’m going for it! It’s worth a shot to keep us alive!”_  
  
Ragnarok began to absorb the Mad Blood, hoping Crona wouldn’t die on him.  
  


* * *

  
Kid was in shock. He knew something terrible had happened to him, but he couldn’t feel a thing. His breathing was strained, and his body refused to move. It took all of his willpower to turn his head, seeing his blood streaked across the floor, pooled at his shoulders, and his arms several feet from him.  _“My arms are… all the way over there.”_  
  
“ _K-Kid_!” The pistols still lodged firmly in the grips of his severed arms began to glow.  
  
Kid let out a gasp. If the sisters were to transform, they would be open targets for his shadow. “Idiots! Don’t switch into your human forms! Just stay where you are!” The glows vanished, and he was thankful the girls listened to him. That was a problem he didn’t need, but now he had to face the big one. The Reaper summoned the power to sit up and get on one knee. White spots appeared in his vision, and blood poured out of his wounds. Steadying himself, Kid finally returned to his feet and glared at the smug mug of his shadow.  
  
“Grim Reaper or not, in the end, you are just a mere child,” Kid’s shadow aimed a gun at his face, “with an incomplete set of Lines of Sanzu to boot.” It held down the trigger, sending the Shinigami skidding across the bloody floor. “For eight hundred years what have the Gods of Death done? Spent timing gathering a bunch of worthless brats. And that’s nothing to say of before the Grim Times.”   
  
Kid craned his head to send another glare to it. “Are you insulting my father?” He was more than sure this was Medusa voicing her opinions vicariously through the entity. There was no reason for a mere faker to talk about this subject.    
  
“Times are changing rapidly, and we must do the same.” A lopsided grin appeared on the shadow’s face. “ _Someone_  must become masters of a world that is no longer static, be it Lady Medusa or even her sister’s pathetic organization, and I don’t think the DWMA is welcomed anymore.”  
  
“You be quiet!” Kid growled, forcing himself to his knees. “I will never allow any kind of scum tread upon the domains of gods! Only we Gods of Death can be responsible for human souls!”  
  
A click sounded in the darkness.  
  
A beam of light broke through Kid’s suit, and the wind began to pick up. “This is-?!” The light swirled around his body before a brightly-glowing object placed itself in front of Kid. He recognized it, the very thing his father entrusted him with after the Baga Yaga operation. “BREW!” The Demon Tool’s shape began to change as it hovered closer to Kid’s chest. A few compartments launched onto him, and a tornado of wind and light surrounded the boy. Kid’s whole body tensed up, all the pain disappearing. “W-What’s… happening?! My soul wavelength is…  _swelling up_!”  
  
Kid released a skyward scream as his large soul appeared around his body. Through the eyes of Kid’s shadow, Medusa watched the phenomenon unfold.  _“I don’t believe this. Lord Death gave his child BREW, the very same thing I gave him to establish some trust.”_ The middle line in Kid’s hair peeled off and formed a complete circle, sending rings of light into the dark abyss.  _“That’s definitely the real deal. One of BREW’s functions is ‘soul amplification’ if I recall correctly. It just connected one of his Lines of Sanzu.”_  
  
Kid drew fresh air into his mouth, and at the stumps where his arms used to be, black static sparked. A series of shadow skulls shot out and grabbed both of his severed arms. With a single tug, they were reconnected to his body. Kid’s natural healing ability took effect, and everything was good as new.    
  
The tear within the sisters’ weapon form dimension sealed back up, and the two could see each other once again. “Hey, Liz, we’re back together!” Patty pointed out.  
  
Liz, however, had other things on her mind. “Wait, Kid. One of the lines on your hair—”  
  
“You don’t have to tell me.” Kid exercised his repaired arms, reclaiming all feeling. “In any other situation, I would be obsessing over it about now.” The Shinigami looked at his shadow and smiled lightly, satisfied the thing was no longer grinning. Clicking his heels together and crossing his arms, he felt ready to finish this. “Death God Martial Arts: Stance of Punishment.”  
  
Kid’s shadow held up its guns. “Don’t think for a second you suddenly have what it takes to be a real leader.”  
  
In the blink of an eye, Kid closed the distance between them and struck it in the face with a cross chop of his pistols. Dazed for only a second, the imitation focused on Kid and attempted to hit him with one of his guns. Kid saw it coming; in fact, it seemed to be moving slower than he remembered. With a slight adjustment, he parried the attack with his arm.  
  
“ _You’re not ready yet_!” Getting increasingly frustrated, Kid’s shadow jumped back and fire a storm of rounds. “ _And you still can’t beat me_!”  
  
The shots made impact, causing Kid to skid back several meters. The shadow smirked, glad to see that, but by the time it landed, a golden light shone from the spot Kid was. It saw two golden skulls in front of his arms, smoke coming from them. “Death Arm Blocking. The Stance of Punishment is more defensive than that of Sin.”  
  
A ferocious growl escaped the shadow, a reminder that it was inhuman. Calmly, Kid dropped his arms. “Liz, Patty, Soul Resonance.”  
  
“Right!”   
  
The pistols were surrounded in bright blue light as Kid raised them to his face. By the time the light shattered, their barrels became notably more rectangular and eyelike marks appeared over the handles. “Death Eagle .42.”  
  
Liz immediately felt the difference. As the Demon Pistols, they could shoot their meister’s wavelength, and now Kid’s was even stronger than even. “Incredible! The soul wavelengths that we can fire just went from 38 soul-widths to 42!”  
  
“Since you want to play this game, I’ll be happy to oblige.” Kid’s shadow clicked its pistols together, and a dark orb encased them. “I’ll destroy you with an attack you won’t be able to dodge.” Black replicas of the pistols suddenly appeared in the air around Kid and his shadow, and they all cocked in unison. “Be gone!”  
  
Several of the floating pistols fired at once. Kid strafed to the side, but a few of the streams of energy hit his body. More and more of the pistols launched attacks and, despite Kid’s speed, more and more scored direct hits. There was a gun aiming in every direction. “Hey! No fair!” Liz yelled out, “That’s a move we don’t even know how to use!”   
  
Kid tried his best to endure every shot that hit him. Gritting his teeth, he summoned more of that power he still felt surging inside him, and his connected Line of Sanzu glowed a bright white. He cocked his guns and raised one of them. “If you’re going to fire, do it in an orderly manner! I’ll shoot down every single one of them!”  
  
“ _Fine then_! Remember that you personally requested this.” The airborne dark pistols stopped firing only for energy to charge up near the openings. With a gesture from Kid’s shadow, they all unleashed continuous beams, completely surrounding Kid.  
  
This was it. If he ended this now, Kid could move on and check up on his friends. If he let a measly faker beat him, he had no right to succeed his father. This was a do-or-die situation, and Kid had but one option. “Sanzu River Shot!”   
  
A few of the floating guns exploded, stopping their attacks. More gunshots rang and more opposing pistols were destroyed, but there were more than enough remaining to compensate. “Give it up. I’ve produced far more than you’re capable of shooting down. You are facing death in every direction.”  
  
Its words fell on deaf eyes, nothing would deter Kid. With every shot, a gun was destroyed. But Kid then noticed the beams getting dangerously close. Instead of panicking, he took a deep breath and held his hands high. “Sanzu Falls…”  While firing, he threw his arms down and out to his sides. The dark abyss lit up and shook as the combined shots tore through the beams and shattered the pistols. “SHOT!”  
  
Kid’s watched helplessly as the waterfall of destruction spilled around Kid, the fire and light threatening to engulf it. Dropping its weapons, the shadow turned around and ran as fast as it could. When it looked over its shoulder, the blast was right there to greet it.  
  
Sanzu Falls Shot subsided, and all was silent again. Kid examined his surroundings and saw he successfully defeated his shadow. His middle line disconnected, and BREW clattered against the floor, back to normal. “Great job, Kid!” The girls cheered, giving him a round of applause.  
  
He cracked a thankful smile. As he straightened up, his expression became serious again. Flashes of the battle replayed in his mind from start to finish.  _“That strength…Did BREW release the Shinigami power stored in my body? Is that why Father gave me BREW?”_  
  
The floor before him suddenly open to reveal an even deeper void, but then he saw a staircase, leading him to believe it was the way out. Made sense; he completed the game, so there was no need to be around here anymore. Narrowing his eyes, Kid walked down the steps.  
  
 _“I must live up to my father’s expectations.”_  
  


* * *

  
  
Rowena’s screams echoed throughout the abyss as she was sent flying away, hitting the ground hard enough to bounce off of it several times before finally coming to a stop. She slowly brought a hand to her face and winched when she touched her jaw.  _“Is that what I do to people?”_    
  
When the orange-haired girl forced herself to look up, something immediately seized her neck and hoisted her into the air. Chocking and trying to pry the iron-clad object from her neck, Rowena kicked her legs at the offender, but she felt no resistance. She was up against an enemy that she needed her superhuman strength to fight with, but without it, she was totally helpless.  _“Th-This is bullshit! Why?! Why to me?! I shouldn’t be this damn helpless!”_  
  
“You aren’t losing your mind up there, huh?” Still struggling for the air, the girl glared down to her shadow – her smirking, smug, crazy shadow. A glint of amusement appeared in it eyes at the strained noises escaping Rowena’s mouth. “It must really suck to be you now. You’re unable to do a single thing about this as I have my way with you. You scared? Terrified even? It’s ok, Rowena, fear is a part of every living. You  _especially_.”  
  
Rowena’s response was a well-placed kick in the shadow’s gut. It did nothing, but it got her point across, she wasn’t going to take this lying down. Rowena’s shadow released a series of mad cackles. “That tickled,  _Rowena_!” It punctuated its sentence with a hard slam. The dark copy released a euphoric sigh at her screaming. “Music to my ears~”   
  
“ _Leave her alone_!” Rowena’s shadow reared its head backwards to see Nayumi jumping at it, one of her hands morphing into a hammerhead. The young girl slammed the weapon right into the creature’s face, and she blanched at the lack of resistance. “Uh-oh.”  
  
The shadow reached up and grabbed her by the fabric of her sleeve. “Put her down!”  The entity turned to see Rowena standing back up. With a sinister smirk, it threw Nayumi into Rowena. Both girls cried out when their bodies hit an invisible wall. Rowena’s shadow approached the fallen girls, abandoning its weapon, scooped them by their necks, and slammed them into the wall again. The monster released another content sigh at the sounds.   
  
Rowena cracked open one of her eyes and saw Nayumi suffering. Her grip tightened around the shadow’s arm. “L-Leave….her…alone…!”   
  
“Shut up already.” The entity rolled its eyes, but it decided it had weakened them enough. Taking a few steps back, it threw the girls into the wall once more. “You’re nothing but a burden, you know that?”  
  
“NO! That ain’t true!”  
  
“Didn’t like that word, did ya? Well, face reality, you sorry little girl.” Whipping its arm to the side, the weapon the shadow had abandoned flew right into its hand. Its glowing eyes matched the wavering glare of Rowena. “I know you’re terrified of being a burden, but you are one right now… and it’s filling your whole soul with terror, the same kind of fear that drives people to insanity. It’s an inevitability, no matter how strong you want to make yourself appear. So cut the ‘that ain’t true’ crap, brat! Stop trying to be a hero when you don’t have the mind to be one!”  
  
Something snapped inside of Rowena. Her body shot back to its feet on its own, and her ego drove everything else. “SHUT THE HELL UP, YOU PIECE OF SH—!”  
  
Rowena’s shadow swung and struck her right across her face. Just like that, all of that resistance was taken away. Blood shot out of Rowena’s mouth as her body awkwardly staggered backwards. Eventually, the dazed girl collapsed onto the ground, the whole area spinning in her eyes.   
  
Nayumi’s throat went dry, and her heart pounded in her chest. They were in some deep trouble. Looking forward, the purple-haired girl met the sharp, violet gaze of the shadow. It licked its lips excitedly, a beast ready to feast.   
  
“I guess it’s time for me to put an end to you and your little ineffectual cheerleader, huh? Ha ha. How do you want you want it? Ah yes… I think I’ll just pulverize you. Since you’re tough and all, I’ll be able to draw out the fun for as long as I want!”  
  


* * *

  
  
Kim and her shadow were flew around the darkened sky of the abyss at high speeds, spewing orange and purple fire into the air from their rides. They had to wait for the right moment to close in to attack, but they also had to be careful of counterattacks. Just like an actual dogfight.   
  
“You’re fighting fiercer than ever, Kimial.” The shadow taunted, swerving in the air to send violet flames in an arc. Kim flew low to avoid them. “You’re becoming more and more like a Witch. I guess that Moral Manipulation whatever jump-started you, huh?”  
  
Kim inhaled sharply, keeping her emotions in check. “You know nothing. That time in Arachnophobia was  _awful_.”  
  
“But at least you had a purpose, a brief moment to let your hair down and let go of your inhibitions. Even you, a witch with nondestructive magic, can succumb to the temptation of evil, of chaos. That is why there is no such thing as true peace! Some people even despise it!”  
  
“You shut up!” Jacqueline snapped. The fire blazing around her flashed with intensity. “The people around Kim accept her for who she is, not what! That’s a step in the right direction!”  
  
“A small step for an insignificant bunch of brats, but nothing for the world at large.” Kim’s shadow clicked its tongue and wagged its finger. “You’re so naïve to think running to the Academy changes anything about you. You were exposed as a witch, and everyone now knows the truth. Deep down, you know all isn’t well. You look over your shoulder every now and then to see if someone’s glaring at you or talking behind your back. It’s apprehension and fear like that that makes conflict. As long as there is conflict, there will never be peace. Not in the Human World or the World of Magic! Stick to hustling the dumb bimbos in Girl’s Dorm for their money, Kimial!”  
  
“I’m getting sick of you already!” Kim shouted, holding on as Jackie rocketed her toward the shadow.   
  
Kim’s shadow played with a strand of her hair idly as she flew backwards at the same speeds, wanting to draw this out. “Even better… I wonder how your former friends, your mother, think of your exile and defection. They probably think you’re dead, not cavorting with the enemy.”  
  
Kid’s eyes widened with a gasp.  
  
 _“Witch, witch. Stay together. Witch, witch. Forever and ever. Together we fight to live another day. ‘One as one’ all the way.”_  
  
 _“Money is the most important thing in the world, my dear Kimial. Power, authority, recognition; as long as you got cash, you got that. Don’t end like me, behind bars for the rest of my life. Be somebody!”_  
  
A vile grin appeared on the shadow’s face as it suddenly accelerated, smashing into Kim with a shoulder charge while she was distracted. It watched as the witch crash-landed to the ground, screaming all the way. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did I step on a nerve?”  
  
Kim rubbed her head, feeling it and her back throbbing from the impact. As she sat up, her weapon clattered on the floor beside her. “Kim, are you OK?” Jacqueline asked concernedly. She had never seen Kim react that way. Come to think of it, that was the first-ever mention of friends or family from the Witch Realm.  _“W-What happened?”_  
  
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Kim reassured, getting back on her feet and grabbing her weapon. “Come on, let’s go finish this!”  
  


* * *

  
  
Dancing.  
  
It was the one thing she knew she could do well because she devoted her life to it before the Academy. Months upon months of practice she thought was lost, she knew what to do with it now.  
  
“Caius, I’ve got an idea.”  
  
Body shaking, Caius slowly stood back up and kept his focus on his shadow. It was so difficult to fight without Soul Blaze. He had suffered so many wounds. “I hope it doesn’t involve pain.”  
  
“It won’t. Just one condition.” Her eyes focused on Caius’s shadow, an abomination that offended her eyes. But since this thing could replicate his moves and fighting style, it was time to mix things up. “Surrender your body and soul to me.”  
  
Caius had little time to think. He was desperate to get out of here alive, and the dark copy generated more flames to attack with. Claudia’s strategy was worth a shot. Caius held his lance upright with the blade between his eyes. He closed them as the same time she did. “They’re yours.”  
  
“Soul Resonance!”  
  
As their souls resonated and became one, Claudia could feel a force bringing her somewhere. She slowly landed on a ‘platform’ in the dark space within her weapon form. A spotlight shone on her, and when she reopened her eyes, Claudia found herself on a stage.  _“O-Oh my word… This looks like the stage I first danced on.”_  She remembered it like it was yesterday. The nervousness, the audience looking at her, but it all paid off in the end when she received a standing ovation for her performance.  
  
When she looked down, Claudia noticed her clothes, a pink and purple ballet uniform that seemed to glow slightly.  _“And I wore this same thing too.”_  She then saw a flicker of blue in her peripheral vision, looking up to see specks of blue light flittering across the stage like fireflies in the night. She spotted a soul right above the stage, and all of the specks of light came from it. Claudia smiled and giggled to herself.  _“Yep. That’s definitely his.”_  
  
Taking a deep breath, Claudia closed her eyes and stood center stage, waiting for the music to play.   
  
The music came straight from Caius’s soul, a solemn mix of violins, acoustic guitars, the occasional electric, and drums. Concentrating on nothing but the rhythm, Claudia let the music flow into her body.  
  
“Burn to death.” Caius’s shadow swung its lance, sending out a wave of black fire.  
  
When Claudia jumped, so did Caius. He cleared the wall of fire, landed on his toes, and made another light jump that placed him in front of his shadow.  _“W-whoa.”_  He avoided the attack more easily and fluidly than expected, but he regained his bearings when he realized he was inches from his target. Tightening his grip, and with a twirl orchestrated by Claudia, Caius swung.  
  
Caius’s shadow barely had time to block, but when it did, it was thrown off-center. “Stronger  _and_  faster?!”  
  
He turned elegantly and struck the copy across its chest, causing it to stagger back. Caius’s body moved for a follow-up, but he felt a sudden surge of pain in his legs. His will superseded the resonance, forcing Claudia to stop and hold their position.   
  
“C-Caius, are you okay?” She asked. She tried to keep going, but Caius wouldn’t allow it. So this was a drawback; the two of them really had to be in synch or else it wouldn’t work, much like a real dance.  
  
The blunette sucked in air through his teeth, trying to relax as his will and Claudia’s battled for dominance over his body.  _“Come on. Work through this. This is nothing.”_  He would have to endure the pain; it was his fault for letting his shadow hurt him so much. “Yeah. Please continue.”   
  
Claudia nodded, saw their enemy coming, and did a pirouette, avoiding the downward slash of the shadow’s lance. That was when Caius decided to let go. Nothing but survival and victory mattered. Caius allowed Claudia to take him anywhere she pleased on the battlefield. She went right, so did he. She sped up, he sped up. The only time he took the reins was to strike and add more power to the motions.   
  
Caius performed a jumping slash, adding yet another laceration to the shadow’s dark body. Stunned, the entity couldn’t counterattack, allowing him to land safely. Starting to growl, dark fire swirled around Caius’s shadow as it lifted its head to glare at its real self. “Enough of this tiresome parlor trick! I  _will_  send your heads to Lady Medusa!”   
  
“Just try it.” Caius said challengingly. Holding his lance with his right hand, supporting with the other, he and his shadow charged at each other.  _“Good. He took the bait.”_  Caius didn’t plan on running straight into a humanoid inferno, so he had to make this count, and he trusted Claudia’s judgment.   
  
Right when the two came into each other’s range, Claudia jumped and span around multiple times, Caius mimicking the motions. This allowed him to completely avoid the flaming slash of the shadow’s lance. Clearing its head, Caius swung on the final spin, cutting the shadow’s head off.   
  
The shadow used its dying breath for one last cryptic remark. “Resist all you can… You cannot hide your true feelings.”  
  
Caius landed on the ground, held the position for a few seconds, and straightened up. The resonance dropped, and he felt control of his body return to him. “That was amazing, Claudia!” The grace of a dancer was truly unmatched. He span, flipped, and twirled a lot on his own, but Claudia took it to another level. But perhaps that was why he could even keep up in the first place.  
  
“I call that spectacular beauty of a performance Song of the Souls, my dear Caius.” Claudia said, beaming with pride. She finally got her meister out of a tough situation. Caius weakly smiled before he dropped the lance and collapsed to the ground. “C-Caius!” She returned to a human form and checked on him. “O-Oh my goodness. I had no idea your wounds were so bad!”  
  
Caius took in several deep breaths before replying, “You have no idea how much willpower it took just to do that resonance.”  
  
A staircase materialized before the two, but Claudia knew Caius was in no position to move on his own anymore. There was no escaping it, she would have to carry him back to safety.  _“Great. My dress is going to have his blood on it.”_  
  


* * *

  
  
Blackness. Total blackness.  
  
 _“P-Please l-let me out. I-I promise I’ll do it.”_  
  
A room, a box, a prison. A place without light, without hope, and without comfort.   
  
 _“I-I can’t handle being alone in here! I’ll do anything. Please let me out!”_  
  
No matter what Crona did, the both of them always got a reminder of their past. This made it all the more difficult to let go, even with people like Maka around to keep them sane. Perhaps it was just unavoidable. The blackness was forever apart of Crona’s life.   
  
 _“Maybe I should…”_  
  
“..ro…na!”  
  
A voice halted Crona’s train of thoughts just like that. The pinkette cracked open its eyes, meeting nothing but the blackness of the Mad Blood. Yet, Crona continued to hear someone cry out in defiance.   
  
“…sonance! Soul Resonance, you dummy!”  
  
It was Ragnarok, the one person who was always there in the darkness. Even though many of the years were spent with him being a bully, Ragnarok mellowed out and proved to be a great partner during their time at the Academy. Even now, insulting as always, he was trying to make sure the two of them got out of here alive.   
  
“Soul Resonance: Bloody Knight!”  
  
Crona’s shadow giggled to itself, watching as the Mad Blood hardened into a sphere. Everything inside would lose its physical form in a matter of seconds and become one with Madness. Crona and Ragnarok were good as dead. “Mission accom—”  
  
The sphere cracked.  
  
The insane grin finally disappeared as the shadow watched the Black Blood undulate. Seconds later, it exploded, sending hardened black blood everywhere. In its place stood a large soul – pink and red, winged, and marked by an X. Pressure built up in the area as the soul wavelength was finally freed from its prison.  
  
“Those who are swallowed by madness...swallow madness...melt into madness...and harden with madness.”  
  
Two black and white gauntlets extended from the back of the armored shawl around Crona’s upper body, brandishing a thin sword and a jagged one. Crona lifted its head and stared directly at its shadow without fear or apprehension. Arms decorated with a segmented vambrace, the swordsman lifted the black greatsword in one of its hands.  
  
“I, however, oppose Madness. I am not going to let myself go back down that path.”  
  
The corners of Crona’s shadow’s mouth twitched. It wanted to grin, but at the same time, it couldn’t. “Y-You copycat. Save for some aesthetics, that looks just like my Madness Fusion.”  
  
“HA!” A bellow reverberated from all three swords. “That’s where you’re wrong, pal. Bloody Knight is ten times cooler than your silly getup. Let’s show ‘em, Crona.”   
  
Crona crouched lightly and then broke into a sprint, faster than before. The shadow dragged its sword across the floor and sent out a Screech Alpha. When close to it, Crona simply swung all three of its swords and sliced right through the projectile. Dauntless, Crona’s shadow darted toward its real self and proceeded to lock blades.  
  
“Pee-Yow!”   
  
Ragnarok vibrated, sending soundwaves directly into the shadow’s body. Crona’s shadow cried out as the ultrasonic waves cracked bones and ruptured organs. It broke the clash and hobbled back, body contorting in pain. Crona, lacking sympathy, simply shot forward and delivered a diagonal slash across its chest with the greatsword, sending the dark copy back even further.  
  
“Well, dang. This is even easier than I imagine,” Ragnarok said, a laugh lacing his booming voice, “Guess that means we’ll have plenty more to give once we’re out of here.”  
  
Crona raised its greatsword as the additional arms lifted their swords up. Black and purple energy gathered around the blades. Once again, the pressure built up in the dark abyss as black wind swirled violently around Crona. Crona’s shadow noticed all of this happening and started to shake in fear. It was scared, terrified. A sniveling coward like Crona wasn’t supposed to be this strong. Medusa said they were weak. She lied.   
  
The shadow released an inhuman screech and channeled all of its turbulent emotions into one attack. With a swing, it sent three, streamlined Screech Alphas that tore through the darkness and headed straight to Crona. Crona swung as well and sent out the same attack. The monstrous projectiles collided and sent out soundwaves of different pitches all over the place. Shockwaves pounded the ground and shook the abyss. But the difference in true power soon showed itself; the shadow’s attack was beginning to break.  
  
“N-NO!” the shadow cried out, eyes darting everywhere, “I have Madness! You can’t be this strong!  _I can’t handle people who are stronger than me_!” Its attack shattered to pieces as Crona’s kept going. The Screech Alphas opened their mouths wide to reveal the blackness within them and swallowed the shadow whole, tuning out its cries of despair.  
  
Closing its eyes, an explosion of purple and black occurred in front of Crona. “That’s all you have, and now you’re nothing.”  
  
Bloody Knight deactivated, and Ragnarok returned to normal, resting atop his meister’s head. “Okay, Crona, I’m only going to say this once so listen up.” He grunted in hesitance but managed to spit it out. “That was badass.”   
  
Crona smiled – one of the very rare times Ragmarok complimented anyone. Remembering the Kumbaya circle, Crona lighted closely its hand to form a fist and held it up to Ragnarok. The inhuman weapon sighed and shook his head. “You’ve gotta be kidding me, man.”  
  
Despite his complaint, the two shared their first fist bump ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said last chapter I would complete Maka’s portion, but in hindsight, it offered nothing of importance. Originally, it was meant to be a chance for Maka to unlock her Weapon Gene like in the anime’s ending, but I decided against it. Plus, that would mean this chapter would take even longer.


	31. Facing Grim Odds: Now or Never

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The shadows have vanquished, but the nightmare is far from over. As Maka and the others recuperate, they formulate their game plan against Medusa Gorgon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.

**Facing Grim Odds: Now or Never**  
  
Several dark passages appeared in the rest area, and one-by-one, everyone emerged from them. Soul carried Maka bridal-style as she applied pressure to the gash across her chest, Tsubaki carried Blackstar piggyback despite being riddled with cuts, Harvar dragged a babbling Ox out, Kilik had the Pot Twins on his shoulders in spite of his visible imp, and finally Kid, Crona, and Kim walked out scot-free.   
  
Kid examined his friends for their condition. His throat went dry, and his heart beat a little faster. While he suspected none of them would be completely fine, to see it firsthand was a different story. He particularly could not keep his eyes off of Maka. “Is she okay?”  
  
“She’s breathing, but she needs treatment ASAP.” Soul answered, trying to stay as calm as possible. He gave Kim a look to cue her, unable to hide the impatience in his eyes. His meister needed some help and now.  
  
Before anything was done, however, Tsubaki did a quick headcount. “Hold on. We’re missing some people.” The others looked around, starting to grow anxious. Sure enough, three of the exits had yet to disappear. Tsubaki more closely looked over who was present, sweating nervously. “Where are Rowena, Tsuji, and Caius?”  
  
“P-Present!”  
  
That was Nayumi, but not in her usual chipper manner. From the middlemost exit, the Demon Sledgehammer appeared, carrying Rowena piggyback. She was soon joined by Marcellus holding an unconscious Tsuji and then Claudia dragging Caius to the best of her ability.   
  
“We need some help here  _now_!” Marcellus shouted, gently setting Tsuji down. Nayumi placed Rowena beside him while Claudia ushered a crawling Caius toward the other side. Gasping in shock, everyone rushed over to see check on them, the Weapons reverting to normal.   
  
Caius kept his breathing even. He was dressed with puncture wounds, slash marks, and second- and third-degree burns. Tsuji, unconscious, was decorated with many stab wounds like that of a human pincushion. Rowena tethered on the edge of reality, breathing heavily and trying to stay awake despite her body wanting otherwise. Her arm and leg were out of place, and they spotted particularly nasty black-and-blue spots on her thigh and face. They were sure she had other forms of blunt force trauma.   
  
“Oh, man. It’s worse than I imagined.” As Soul placed Maka down next to Caius, Kim exchanged glances between each of the four critically injured, trying to determine who to start with first.   
  
Noticing her indecisiveness, Claudia frowned. “Come on, Kim! Get to work already!”   
  
“Okay, okay!” Kim elected to begin with Tsuji since he was the only one unconscious. She quickly kneeled down behind his head and placed her hands on his chest. A bright gold glow formed around her hands, beginning the healing process.   
  
A second later, she felt something bite her hard. “ _Ow_!” She jerked backwards to grip her ankle, the pain comparable to being bitten by a rabid animal. But, just as soon as it came, it left. “Geez, that hurt!”  
  
Soul’s forehead creased, watching Kim let go of her ankle. He saw nothing in particular that could warrant such a reaction. “What hurt? What happened?”  
  
“Forget about it.” Kim had better things to tend to. She put her hands back on Tsuji’s chest and concentrated, but to her surprise, the glow never came back. In fact, she was literally incapable of tapping into her magic reserves. She could not use her Regeneration Magic. “Oh great. Guess what Medusa did?”  
  
Soul bared his sharp teeth, his red eyes burning with a fire never before seen. Now, of all times when friends needed help, Medusa still played her game. “These four can’t keep on with these injuries! And the rest of us need treatment too!” He heard Maka whimper in pain, and he growled in rage.  _“What’s the use complaining? She doesn’t care. She wants us to suffer.”_  
  
Just when several others were ready to break out complaints like Soul, Kim held up her hands to catch their attention. “Now calm down, guys!” Once they quieted down, she fished into her shirt. “It’s okay. I’ve been experimenting, and I managed to make these on the boat.”  She showed her comrades five vials filled with greenish, glowing liquid inside. “Magic portions! They have the same properties as my Regeneration Magic.”  
  
Kid blinked a few times, trying to register what he was seeing. “Wait a minute… You were  _seriously_  making magic portions back on the boat?”  
  
Kim grinned and playfully stuck her tongue out at the Shinigami. “I  _did_  say yes to you, didn’t I?”  
  
“Thank God.” Kilik’s shoulders slumped in relief. Then, a thought crossed his mind that made him snicker. “I bet Medusa didn’t see that one coming, huh?”  
  
Kim laughed as well and handed Soul, Claudia, Marcellus, and Nayumi one vial each. “Give Maka, Caius, Rowena, and Tsuji the whole thing. The rest of us will have to share the last one.”  _“And I’ll keep the sixth one hidden just in case.”_  
  
“As skeptical as I am feeding Tsuji something you whipped up in a kitchen,” Marcellus popped open the cap and adjusted Tsuji’s head, “I guess my opinion doesn’t matter right now.”  
  
“You can heal the rest, I’ll be fine.” Kid stated. Harvar waved his hand dismissively, conveying the same message. As the others shared a small dose of the healing potions, Kid continued, “For now, we need to discuss what to do now. Undoubtedly, Medusa is our next obstacle, and we are strapped for manpower.”  
  
“Our main priority should be reclaiming everyone’s lost powers,” Harvar suggested, “That’ll at least give us a fighting chance against her and her forces.”  
  
“Knowing Mother, she probably stored them in a crystal ball,” Crona said, “Maybe something similar.”  
  
Soul sampled some of the healing potion and passed it along to Tsubaki. “So find that storage device and destroy it. Sounds simple enough.”  
  
“Except it’s not.” Jacqueline shook her head. “Medusa is not going to make it easy for us. Imagine the precautions she’ll take keeping us away from that crystal ball.”  
  
“We’ll just have to keep her busy then,” Liz stated confidently, “Just send a few of us to get the crystal ball and have someone else keep her occupied.”  
  
“With us already low on people who can fight?” Claudia questioned.  
  
“We’ll have to make do.” Kid eyed all of the individuals who still made an effective meister-weapon pair. “Including Medusa, there is the werewolf Free, and the witches Eruka and Mizune. Our better fighters will need to fight Medusa and Free. I volunteer for the latter since I’m still at full strength, and I have experience against him.”  
  
Which meant someone of equal or better power to Kid needed to take on Medusa. Right now, the list was terribly small, and Crona knew that. There was only one other person for the job. Realizing that, Crona raised a shaky hand. “I’ll—”  
  
The bite was immediate.  
  
Crona released a loud shriek that made everyone to jump back in surprise. The pain lingered, forcing Crona’s body to tense and twist up in attempts to stamp it out. Crona covered its face, the fingers digging into its skull, but the pain only intensified. The questioning cries of Crona’s friends went unheard. Fresh, unshed tears welled up in Crona’s eyes as it choked out, “W-What’s… h-happening… to me?!”   
  
“ _Crooooonaaaaaa_!”  
  
At that moment, what was happening to Crona became irrelevant, and the pain and suffering made sense. “R-Ragnarok!” Before Crona knew it, Ragnarok was pulled into its body by some mystical force. Unlike the many other times when it was done by his will, Crona did not feel the actual process. In fact, Crona felt lighter, an empty void where he usually rested, and that made reality all the more obvious.  
  
“…Sh-She took him…”  
  


* * *

  
  
Back at the Death City, the skies returned to its normal color, and the police and Academy officials did damage control. All injured or brainwashed individuals were sent to the Academy for screening or the hospital if their wounds warranted more intensive attention.   
  
Tsugumi, Meme, and Anya were currently visiting the Academy to check up on their friends. The Demon Halberd mumbled to herself, using her fingers to list off all the people they knew personally. “Okay, so that’s Eternal Feather, Kana… Are we missing anyone else?”  
  
“The Vandies!” Meme chirped, the extra pep in her step causing her now loose strands to dance around her face. She even had to blow a couple of bangs out of her eyes.  
  
Anya noticed two things and then said, “Wow, Meme, you actually remembered them and even gifted them a nickname. Oh, and you should keep your hair like that. That gaudy ponytail isn’t doing your hair any favors.”  
  
Meme chuckled softly, blushing a little out of embarrassment. “Since I don’t have to worry about Shaula, my mind’s clearer. There are a bunch of things I remember now that I’d forgotten.” Only now did the second part of Anya’s statement register in her mind, and she glared at her. “Hey! My ponytail isn’t gaudy!” The brunette subconsciously ran a hand through her hair. “Is it?”  
  
Tsugumi giggled and saw a room ahead. Running up to it, she read the names on the clipboard near the door and recognized them. “This is it.” The girl knocked on the door a few times.  
  
“Who is it?!”  
  
Tsugumi flinched away from the door as if scared it would come alive and hurt her. “Gagantous!” Autumn and Vincent did not sound happy at all.  
  
“Stop that, you two. Come on in.”  
  
At least Damon was pleasant, the girls thought. Cautiously, the three NOT students entered the room to see the triplets resting on the beds. Vincent and Autumn appeared deep in thought, scowls on their face, and barely acknowledged their presence. Damon stopped playing with his paddleball and smiled at them. “Hey, girls, thanks for stopping by.”  
  
“It’s no biggie,” Tsugumi replied, leaning against his bedframe. Her gaze fell to the tile floor, recalling the events of the attack. “I just can’t believe Shaula got that many people.”  
  
At the mention of the youngest Gorgon Sister, Autumn turned her icy gaze toward the Demon Halberd. “What happened to her?” Even as he was drinking a cup of water, Vincent kept his attention on her, wanting to know the answer himself.  
  
Still unaccustomed to that, Tsugumi released a series of stutters, finding places to look at other than Autumn. Anya, steeling her own gaze, stepped up beside her weapon partner and retorted, “I’ll have you know that the three of us successfully put an end to her shenanigans with some assistance. While she may be dead, she is certainly out of business. You should be expressing gratitude that we indirectly saved you.”  
  
Vincent spat out his water and coughed loudly to expel the rest from his throat. Autumn, meanwhile, stared at the three with an agape mouth and a twitching eye, unable to form words. Damon clapped his together, eyes shining with joy. “That’s great! I’m so proud of you three! You sure showed her! Oh, and you have our thanks.”  
  
Done coughing, Vincent wiped his mouth and focused on them. “You have got to be—” His maroon-haired brother threw his paddleball at him, and Vincent instantly changed his tone, “Uh, I mean, that’s wonderful! You’re helping make the world a better place one step at a time.”  
  
Autumn regained her composure but decided to stay her tongue. She looked out the window nearest to her bedside, watching birds fly by as peacefully as ever.  _“Sure, we all braved yet another storm, but this world is a factory of misery. There’s always trouble and strife. One can only guess what the next grueling trial is.”_  
  
“Well, we’d best be off.” Meme announced. As Shaula’s best Traitor, the Academy needed to conduct as many tests on her as possible to ensure her safety. Akane and Clay were probably waiting for her anyway. She then nudged Anya playfully. “Come on, Princess Yngling~”  
  
Vincent sipped his water only to spit it back out when Meme spoke. “Okay, does anyone have any  _more_  revelations before I drink again?”  
  
Autumn faced the blonde once again and narrowed her eyes. “Explain yourself.”  
  
Anya turned her nose into the air but nonetheless answered, “It’s exactly as she says. ‘Anya Hepburn’ is really a stage name. My real name is Anastasia Yngling of the royal House Yngling.” When she reopened her eyes, she noticed Vincent staring at her, cupping his chain and eyes wandering all over her. Assuming the worst, she snapped at him, “Why are you examining me so intently, Vincent?!”  
  
“You know, everything makes sense now.” He sent a suave grin at her, causing her face to flush. “Your speech pattern, demeanor, style of clothing. I’m surprised I didn’t gather that beforehand.” He bowed his head. “I am honored to be graced with your presence, Princess Yngling.”   
  
“O-Oh.” Out of shyness and not necessity, she tucked a couple strands of blond hair behind her ear. “Well, you needn’t be so formal with me, Vincent. But thanks anyway.”  
  
Feeling both bored and mischievous, Autumn spoke without warning. “The reason he is being formal with you is to masquerade the fact he was stealing glimpses of your bosom seconds ago.”  
  
“ _What_?!”   
  
Vincent raised his arm to block the oncoming barrages of ineffective punches while he gave his sister an unamused glare. She only responded with a small grin, mouthing a ‘Got you.’ Meme and Tsugumi laughed nervously at scene. Damon, wanting to do something about the awkwardness, changed subjects. “Well, Shaula may not be dead, but you stopped her. It made a point not to mess with the Academy. A message that says,” He waved his hands and arms in wide, grand, sweeping motions, “‘Beware, foolish evildoers! Even the lower echelons of the DWMA can smite thee!’”  
  
Autumn sighed, propping up an arm and resting her chin in her palm. “This isn’t a fairytale. Not all endings are happy.”  
  
Tsugumi shook her head at the silver-haired girl. “Doesn’t mean we can’t make one.”  
  
Vincent smiled to himself, still effortlessly fending off Anya’s rampage.  _“Lord knows we need that kind of thinking to right all these wrongs.”_  
  
The extremely loud growl of Autumn’s stomach interrupted everything in the room. “Oh, it appears I am famished.” Throwing the covers off of her, she jumped out of the bed. Straightening out the wrinkles in her grey shirt, she then put her black hoodie back on. “Come along, brothers, let’s go eat.”  
  
“Sounds good to me!”  
  
Tsugumi, Meme, and Anya bid their farewell to the triplets as they left the room and went to the cafeteria. While they were content with their victory, the conversation with the Vanderbilts reminded them of something: Shaula wasn’t dead. If she was as sinister she made herself out to be, she would be back. Well, if they had to fight her all over again, then so be it.   
  
Tsugumi held out her hand, nodding to both of her new Meisters. “Let’s make a pact. To beat Shaula once and for all!”  
  
The brunette and the blond placed their own hands on top of their Weapon partner. “To beat Shaula once and for all!”  
  
…  
  
“Lord Death!”  
  
In a hallway on the way to the Death Room, Lord Death suddenly collapsed onto one knee and barely kept himself up with his large white hand. He was surrounded by his Death Scythes, Akane, and Clay. The Reaper regained his breath before he addressed his underlings. “Don’t worry. I’m fine.” He reclaimed his strength, stood tall, and sighed in relief.  
  
His master suddenly dropping down alarmed Spirit. Days after he officially became the Death Scythe, Lord Death sat him down and confided in him confidential information. Spirit knew what this was a sign of. “Is it about Kid?”  
  
“Uh-huh~ One of the Lines of Sanzu connecting is something to be proud of.”  
  
Spirit looked down, and a few of his fellow Death Weapons were surprised at how solemn he looked. “I see.”  
  
Lord Death patted him on the back comfortingly. “Don’t show that kind of face. There is not one parent who doesn’t feel proud of their children’s improvement.”  
  
Images of Maka’s own progress, as well as how closely she followed Kami’s footsteps, flowed through Spirit’s mind, the memories strong to make him smile. “You’re right.”  
  
Tezca released a few hearty chuckles. “Before you know it, we’ll be taking orders from the little squirt.”   
  
At a nearby corner, Vincent, Autumn, and Damon heard enough of the conversation, turned around, and walked off. Vincent sneered and glared from the corner of his wisteria eyes at the voices.  _“Yes because you and your son are doing so well keeping the peace.”_  
  
“Now, run along, everyone. We have stations to keep.” Nodding at the receipt of their orders, the Death Scythes left their lord alone with Akane and Clay. Lord Death then turned to them and asked, “Akane, Clay, are you still keeping an eye on them?”  
  
Akane nodded, knowing just who he was talking about. “Yes, sir. So far, there is nothing substantial to report.”  
  
“The three are acting rather normal.” Clay added in.  
  
Lord Death nodded. “Good, good. As long as it stays that way, all is well. Now then, you should hurry up and do your business with Meme Tatane and Anastasia Yngling. You are DWMA CIA agents after all.”  
  
“Yes, sir!”    
  


* * *

  
The minute it realized Ragnarok was gone, Crona sought refuge in the nearest corner and closed out the world. Curled up and hiding its face, Crona could not recall the last time it cried so hard for so long. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’ll never do it again.” Crona’s mouth ran on autopilot, spewing out the same mantra it would when Medusa gave out her punishment.  
  
“C-Crona?”  
  
Crona slowly lifted its head to meet the person who was always there to save it from the darkness, Maka. Even without her courage, the Scythe Meister still cared about Crona’s well-being. Her heart ached seeing Crona’s reddened eyes and tear-stained face. She had to approach this issue delicately. “A-Are you…?”  
  
Crona’s head dropped again. “I-I just don't know what to do without Ragnarok. He’s always the one to prepare and protect me in battle.” The young adolescent shivered and whimpered. “A-And after all we’ve done on this island…”  
  
Maka sat against the wall beside Crona and placed a hand on its shoulder. Crona was a fragile person, she knew that, and almost constantly required emotional support. “Don't worry. I'm sure we will get him back… I hope.”  
  
Silenced greeted the two with Maka unsure of what else to say. It appeared the loss of her courage extended to conversations; she was less willing to speak up about certain things. At least it seemed Crona calmed down because it wasn’t crying any longer. “M-Maka?” the swordsman croaked, “C-Can I be honest?”  
  
“Sure thing.”  
  
“I-I feel like this is my fault,” Crona confided, fidgeting nervously as it recalled the words of its shadow, “I-I think Medusa has to be tormenting us just to vent out her frustration with me.”  
  
“N-No! Don't think like that!” Maka exclaimed, reaching out and grabbing Crona firmly by its hand, prompting a dark blush to sweep across Crona’s face. “Please don't blame yourself for what happened. There was nothing you could do about this. Or any of us. But, we will find a way to get our abilities back and save Ragnarok. Y-You just have to be strong and help save the day! We’ll get through this. So cheer up, okay?” The ashy blond offered a meek smile. “Show me your smile please.”  
  
Maka squeezed Crona’s hand a bit tighter, and the swordsman could feel the warmth and comfort radiating from it. Even now, Maka was Crona’s savior. The adolescent offered the Scythe Meister a bashful smile, feeling much better. “I'll try.”   
  
“That's great.” Maka then noticed something from the corner of her eyes. She then saw a rat scurrying by them, minding its own business. The girl screamed and jumped in Crona’s arms, burying her face into its chest. “Go away, go away, go away, go away!”   
  
Crona groaned and hung its head in embarrassment. “Maka…”  
  
After what seemed to be an eternity for Tsuji, he came to. Groaning lightly, his muscles were sore, and his body felt heavy. Lifting up a hand to massage his aching head, he slowly cracked his eyes open, meeting light for the first time since his shadow knocked him out. His eyes readjusted, and the first thing he saw were a pair of chocolate brown eyes.  
  
“Hey.” Jacqueline greeted with smile. “Good to see you back.”  
  
Tsuji blinked several times to help his vision, trying to figure why Jackie’s head hovered above his. At this point, he could feel the cold stone against his back as well as unmistakable human warmth at the back of his neck and head. Because he continued to feel groggy, Tsuji refused to think for himself and instead made a request, “Please explain.”  
  
“Long story short, you got injured bad and Kim healed you. You started breathing funny while you were unconscious so I angled your head so you could breathe better.”  
  
Curiously, Tsuji groped around the area behind his head, feeling Jacqueline’s thighs. “H-Hey! Watch the hands!” She cried out, blushing furiously.  
  
“My bad.” He immediately retracted his hands, sat up, and went to his feet. “Thanks anyway.” The black-haired teen stretched his body and released a sustained yawn, glad to be back in tip-top shape. While he was thankful that nightmare of a fight with his shadow was over, he had no clue why,  _“How’d I even get out of there alive? I know for sure I was gone halfway through.”_  
  
Kilik was the first of the group to notice Tsuji finally woke up. “Yo, Tsuji. Good to see you back on your feet.”  
  
Tsuji gave him a small nod. “Yeah, thanks.” Now that everyone was awake and coherent, the group gathered around. The archer crossed his arms and glanced around. Everyone seemed fine except for a babbling Ox and a lethargic Blackstar, but he did see Crona in a fetal position with Maka. “Anything happen?”  
  
“Medusa took Ragnarok from Crona.” Patty answered in a simple tone, reactionless as Tsuji gawked at her in shock.  
  
“He’s the only loss,” Soul said regrettably, “But we think it’s possible to get him back along with the rest of our stuff. Crona says Medusa stuffed everything in a crystal ball, and Kim thinks those knockoffs put too much strain on Medusa. That’s probably why you, me, and Rowena were able to get out of those pits alive. They just vanished.”  
  
“So what we gotta do to set things straight?” Tsuji asked.  
  
“That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Kid spoke up, pointing at the exit farthest from them, “Medusa awaits us, but our group is severely hampered. Our main priority is to capture the artifact Medusa has our abilities sealed in.” The reaper looked Tsuji directly into his eyes. “And we think you and Caius should do it.”  
  
A lump formed in Tsuji’s throat, and he swallowed thickly. Nervousness surged through his chest like a shock. “I don’t get no say in this?”  
  
“Well, think of it, bro,” Rowena reasoned, “This chick has that werewolf dude, herself, that other witch, and a fourth person. According to the others, those last two are supposed to be weak. Since you and Caius can still fight but aren’t at full strength, it makes sense to pair ya’ll up.”  
  
“Besides,” Harvar paused to regulate his visor, “You two don’t have to win, you just have to get that crystal ball.”  
  
“I already decided to fight the werewolf,” Kid reminded everyone. He then cupped his chin contemplatively, “But, unfortunately, that leaves Medusa, the biggest threat of her little army.” Kid honestly wished he could somehow fight them both at the same time just to optimize the safety of his friends and comrades. Leaving either Free or Medusa unattended spelled disaster.   
  
“I’ll take her.”  
  
All eyes fell on the volunteer, Kim. Kilik stepped forward, worry washing over him. “You, Kim? No way. You don’t have your Regeneration Magic anymore. It’s too risky.”  
  
Kim confidently smirked. “So?” She lightly and playfully punched him on the shoulder. “It’s ok, Kilik. I’m a big, tough girl. I can tie my own shoes and everything.” Looking at everyone else, she added in, “Seriously speaking, it’s best I do it. I’m a Witch just like her. Fight fire with fire, right?”  
  
The utter nonchalance in Kim’s voice actually convinced Soul everything was going to be all right. With a shrug of his shoulders, the red-eyed boy spoke, “Well, that settles it then. The rest of us will stay here and make sure they don’t try anything funny on the people who can’t defend themselves.”  
  
Strategizing done, the Thompson Sisters, Claudia, Marcellus, and Jacqueline all transformed into their weapon forms. Kid turned to the door that would lead them to the top of the monolith where Medusa lied. With his newfound power and his comrades-in-arms by his side, he planned to exact judgment on her and her army.  
  
“Let’s go.”


	32. To Each Their Own Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final battle between Medusa and her minions begins. The plan is simple, get their characteristics back and stay alive. Is the reality, however, not as black and white?

**To Each Their Own Battle**

Kid, Kim, Tsuji, and Caius found themselves facing a large door, the two big golden handles resembling two halves of a cobra's hood. Kid could sense her wavelength, and Kim felt her magic power. Medusa was definitely behind this door. Everyone nodded to each other, confirming their readiness, and Kid pushed the door open. On the other side was total darkness. Tsuji gulped nervously, but an encouraging pat on his back from Caius gave him the nerve to walk forward. Kim held up her lantern to light the way for the boys.

They would not have to go far. As soon as they all stepped in, the room was suddenly lit up with green torches all over the walls, showing the room to be inhabited by one person: Medusa. The snake witch sat in the middle of the room on a purple tarp. She slowly lifted her head, revealing her glowing eyes from under her hood. "Welcome, children."

Kid narrowed his eyes, flexing his fingers to relieve the urge to fire immediately. "There you are, Medusa Gorgon."

Jacqueline's reflection appeared on the face of the lantern. "Shall we hurry up and put an end to these silly games?"

Medusa mock-pouted. "Aww. But it has been so much fun watching you all play my silly little games."

"Well, that's too bad," Caius retorted, pointing his lance at her, "Your games have harmed our friends and taken away one of them."

"I could've done worse, mind you," Medusa said simply. Pertaining to Ragnarok, she was just bluffing. As she said before, the Ouroboros curse couldn't curse things vital to someone's life. She sealed away Ragnarok the sword, not the Black Blood itself. The woman then rose to her feet. "But, for once, I agree with you children. It's time we settle this once and for all."

Vectors began to rise around Medusa as she crossed her arms at the wrists. "Nake snake cobra cobra. Nake snake cobra cobra."

Everyone kept their eyes peeled, searching around the room for the storage device they assumed had their abilities. The barren room gave them their answer, it wasn't here. In fact, they also noticed none of Medusa's minions were around. "Marcellus," Kid whispered as they kept their eyes on Medusa as she prepared to attack, "Scan the area. Something isn't right here."

"Got you covered." With Wavelength Sonar, Marcellus pinpointed the location of several souls: a cluster of them he assumed were the others back on the previous floor, and the others were ones in this very room. A gasp escaped him, sensing a soul heading back to the prior floor and two of them outside the monolith. "GUYS—!"

"Vector Arrow!"

A flurry of arrows emerged from Medusa's back and soared into the air. Kid saw this spell too many times, so they needed to act fast. "Go right down the middle! Hurry!" Kid, Tsuji, and Caius broke out into a sprint with the former leading. Kim quickly got on Change 'Pixie' and flew right behind them. As they bobbed and weaved through the Vector Arrows, Kid yelled out, "Marcellus! What did you see?"

"Someone's heading back to the rest area where the guys are, and there's two others outside. As in _outside_ outside!"

Liz knew what that meant. "That's gotta be the werewolf and the two other witches!"

Medusa chuckled sinisterly and manipulated her vectors' trajectories, curling them inward. "You fools insult my intelligence."

Kid summoned Beelzebub to increase his speed and mobility while Caius caught a ride with Kim so he could keep avoiding the vectors. Tsuji simply accelerated.

"You made a mistake separating into two groups," Medusa said, "And did you honestly believe I was going to let you guys get your powers back? By now, Mizune and Eruka are on their way to throwing that old thing to the bottom of the ocean!"

"Not if we have anything to say about that!" Kim shouted. Time was running out; Kid needed to turn back around and Caius and Tsuji had to get out of here somehow. Since Medusa was her opponent, Kim's mind raced to figure out a way to catch her attention. Just then, a light bulb went off in her head. "Jackie, Crawling Fire."

"Right!"

The lantern generated fire deep within it and Kim aimed it downward. The slot opened up and discharged a beam of flames straight into the ground.

Medusa's focus was entirely on her targets, trying to make sure they couldn't go anywhere. "Hold still and let me pierce you!" She pointed two fingers in opposite directions but then saw a stream of ground-based fire heading directly toward her. None of her vectors would reach. "Time to go. Vector Plate!" Her Vector Arrows disappeared as a larger one appeared beneath the snake witch, propelling her out of the way as Crawling Fire exploded at her former spot.

"Great job, Kim!" Kid swerved around in a tight circle and headed back out the door. "And good luck!"

"We're taking a shortcut, Tsuji!" Caius called out as he and Claudia performed a Deus Iratus Soul Resonance. The lance-missile was fired at the back wall, and the room shook as a plume of smoke and rubble burst out. Wasting no more time, Caius and Tsuji ran through the thick cloud and out of the hole in the wall, now falling through the air.

As the two Meisters free-fell, Marcellus glanced back at the hole now getting out of his vision. _"I don't know why, but I got a bad feeling about this. I think she's still playing with us."_ He shuddered, feeling something he described as snakes slithering all over his body. _"Well, I guess there's no use mulling over it now."_

Once the cloud of smoke was gone, Medusa glimpsed over her shoulder at the hole in the wall, frowning. "Tch. Little brats escaped." When she looked forward, she was met with Kim standing some meters away, aiming her lantern at her. The corners of Medusa's mouth twitched upwards. "You? They pitted _you_ against me?"

"Well, technically, I volunteered, but that seems to be the case," Kim replied in an even tone. She took a deep breath. The last thing she needed to do was lose her cool and succumb to Medusa's taunting. She would use that against her.

"Hm. This should be interesting indeed," Medusa commented. From her surveillance, Kim relied heavily on Jacqueline for both maneuverability and offense. Vector Plates and Vector Arrows should work like a charm.

Done steeling her nerves, the pink-haired girl sent a flash of fire at Medusa. "Vector Plate!" A black arrow appeared under Medusa, and it shot her away from the blaze. She summoned another one that sent her at Kim at the same speed, wrapping whirring vectors around one of her hands.

"Kim! She's coming!" Jacqueline exclaimed. Gritting her teeth, Kim quickly attached Jacqueline's mechanisms together to form Change 'Pixie'. Instead of achieving flight, Kim swung the lantern by its extended shaft, colliding with Medusa's Vector Drill.

Medusa smiled sinisterly as she muttered a 'Vector Plate'. Kim spotted a flash of red, and her gaze darted downward to see one planted under her. The younger witch screamed as she tumbled backwards, only stopping when her body hit a wall. "Vector Arrow!" Medusa gave Kim no time to rest; she wanted this, so she had to oblige.

"Kim, get up!" Jacqueline yelled, seeing the vectors fly at them. Getting out of her daze, Kim shot up to her feet and gripped the lantern's extended shaft like a baseball bat. As the lantern itself generated intense flames, Kim swung it. Great balls of fire came out in an arc, meeting the frontline vector arrows in a collision that filled the ceiling with smoke and flames. Despite being outnumbered five-to-one, the strong fire from the explosion stunted the remaining vector arrows. By the time they passed through, the burnt vectors harmlessly landed in the spot Kim formerly occupied.

Medusa squinted her yellow eyes, trying to make out Kim's figure in the dark smoke. _"Predictable, Kimial, taking flight and using the smoke as cover."_ She had to admit, it was still clever. She needed her sight to aim her Vector Arrows and properly position her Vector Plates. _"All right then. I'll play the waiting game. That smoke won't stay up forever."_

Time slowed to a crawl as Medusa stood there stiff as a statue. Suddenly, her face became illuminated in the darkness. "There you are." The snake witch spotted Kim's outline as she sent out more fireballs. She placed a Vector Plate underneath her and in several other spots. They moved her around the room at lightning speed, allowing Medusa to dodge the fireballs and rocket her to where Kim was.

"Vector Drill!" Medusa cried out with a mad smile, ready to hear the shred of flesh and bone like with Shaula. She thrust her hand, laced in shrieking vectors, at Kim.

Her smile vanished instantly.

Her arm was _burning_ up.

It took all of one second for Medusa's eyes to readjust to see that she drove her arm in a replica made of fire. Sharply sucking in air, the snake witch instinctively used Vector Plate to get her away. As luck would have it, this got her out of the blast radius of another fiery explosion.

Once back on the floor, Medusa hissed, feeling her injured arm pulsating. Looking down, second-degree burns dressed it from wrist to elbow. Her serpent tattoo contorted on the surface of her skin, crying out. "I'm sorry. I won't make that mistake again."

By this time, the smoke completely subsided, and Medusa flashed Kim a glare, to which she responded with a mocking wave. _"Nothing more than false bravado."_ After all, that had to be the only way she could remain in the same room as her.

And it was true. Behind her winner-class smile, Kim's heart pounded like a drum. She sought out whatever means necessary to at least keep herself from getting killed. Her crutch, Regeneration Magic, was gone, so she could not afford hapless mistakes. _"I'm busting out everything Jackie and I have worked on."_

"Soul Resonance!"

A blazing inferno suddenly cloaked Kim and her Weapon. After a few seconds, streams of fire streaked out of it, whistling like fireworks sent off into the night. Medusa narrowed her eyes, recognizing the distinct shape of a tanuki in those flying blazes.

Medusa backpedaled, watching as the inferno died away, completely replaced with a small battalion of flaming tanukis. A Vector Plate sent her skyward as the creatures scuttled across the floor, but they simply flew after her, leaving trails of fire in their path. A number of them flanked left and the other right. Medusa knew she had to do something before they caught her.

"Vector Storm!" Vectors emerged from Medusa's feet and shot upward, twisting like a tornado. The flaming tanukis were caught in the upsurge and were slammed into the ceiling, away from Medusa as they exploded. She then spotted the sole survivor. Unlike the others, this one in particular sported green eyes. _"I got you."_

With a motion of her hand, some of vectors peeled away from formation and shot toward the flaming tanuki. They struck, curling downward and sending it straight into the floor with a hard slam. With a poof, Kim returned to normal, now with several cuts on her body. Her outfit slowly gained small splotches of blood, and she winced audibly trying to get back to her feet. Unlike Kilik or Ox, who could take stuff this like nothing, Kim often used her healing ability without a second thought. Fighting through pain and injury was something she wasn't really accustomed to.

Medusa landed on the ground, eyeing her prey with her ever-present, dastardly grin. "Are you sure you made the right choice fighting me?" She casually leaned back, letting her Tail Snake support her whole body weight.

"Don't mock me!" Kim growled, aiming her lantern at her. The slot opened up to reveal to a face that glowed orange and shot out more fire. Medusa flipped over the torrent of flames, landed on her Tail Snake in front of Kim, and delivered a kick to Kim's face. The younger witch tumbled back and once again found herself staring up to Medusa from the floor. She touched her face and winced, already feeling the spot swell.

"Kim, what are we going to do?" Jacqueline asked concernedly. She knew it would come to this, a grim point where Medusa's superior skill and experience would show itself, but not this soon.

"I'm thinking, Jackie," Kim muttered, sweating as she watched Medusa's immense, snake-theme Soul formed around her, "I'm thinking..."

* * *

Back out, Caius and Tsuji continued to fall. The ground was covered in a thick, green canopy, so none of them were sure where they were going to land. As several seconds passed, that became the least of their concerns. They were plummeting faster and faster.

"Guys, we need to figure out a way to slow us down," Claudia remarked, remembering her parachuting experience that one day before school.

Caius held one of his arms up to face to brace it against the rushing wind, speaking over it. "Okay, got any bright ideas?"

Tsuji's heartrate was at maximum, sweat coming down his face in rivulets. _"Shit, shit, shit! What do I do?!"_ He thought frantically. He snapped out of it when he saw a rock jutting out of the monolith up ahead and got an idea.

Marcellus noticed his partner aligning himself with the obstacle up ahead. "Whoa, Tsuji! You're gonna crash! Get out of the—!"

The black-haired teen swung the javelin with enough force to break off a large-enough slab of the rock. Tsuji put it beneath him and maneuvered himself toward the steep side of the monolith, now riding down it like a surfer on a wave. "I got it, man," he responded to Marcellus, keeping himself balanced. "Yo, Caius, find you one to grab on."

Seeing the forest coming closer and closer, Caius desperately scrambled over to Tsuji and latched onto him. The archer was nearly thrown off-center and had to swerve left and right in order to stay on his impromptu board. "Grab a _rock_ , not _me_ , fool!" He chastised, throwing his hand to block out the sand and dust threatening to blind him.

"Sorry! I didn't have a choice!"

Eventually, the time came when Tsuji had to jump off the slope and into the upper forest canopy. He rode along the branches, getting lower and lower, until he saw open space. "Jump!" Tsuji then abandoned his ride. Caius finally let go of Tsuji, and the two boys skidded along the dirt until they came to a complete stop.

"Okay, Tsuji, we've got no time to waste." Caius started sprinting with Tsuji. "Let's go find those two and—"

The ground below the two blew up with a deafening bang. The two males flew out of a plume of heat and smoke and landed squarely on their backs, dropping their weapons. Visions blurry and ears ringing from the boom, the boys cried and rolling around in pain.

" _What the hell was that_?!" Tsuji shouted at the top of his lungs, reaching a high pitch. He managed to get on one knee despite the fresh pain in his body. Groaning, Caius took off his damaged glasses and reached out into his jacket to get his spare.

"Did someone throw an explosive at us?" Claudia yelled, her profile appearing on her lance's blade, looking around. Her search was futile because it was hard to see around on the ground.

"Careful, you two," Marcellus cautioned, "Find some cover before it happens again!"

Safety being more important, the two meisters quickly retreated to the foliage nearby. The second they passed through, they were again thrown into the air by an explosion, this one bigger than the last. Screaming in agony, Tsuji and Caius landed on the ground at the same time as the burning wood. Parts of their outfits were burned off, blood ran down some of their exposed skin, and white flashes clouded their eyesight.

"Oh my God, what is going on?!" Claudia shouted in duress, watching the fire eat up the trees and bushes.

"A-Are you two okay?" Marcellus asked as the boys writhed on the ground.

"NO!"

Marcellus winced, feeling the sharp sting of their retort. "R-Right. Sorry. Dumb question." Just like that, they were in trouble. Caius and Tsuji suffered injuries, and they hadn't even encountered their targets. "Sit tight, guys, I'm scoping the area." He scanned the premises with Wavelength Sonar and was met with an influx of information. Sucking in air to calm himself, Marcellus concentrated, spotting two moving souls in the far distance. The Witches, for sure, but what was around them made him loose his nerve. "G-Guys...?"

Claudia's heart threatened to jump out of her chest at his grim tone. "I don't like how that sounds."

"You shouldn't," Marcellus replied honestly, "Because we're in the middle of a minefield."

With the exception of the small safe zone they were in, everywhere else was littered with explosives. As far as his Wavelength Sonar reached was how far the minefield stretched. He sincerely thought it was a miracle Tsuji and Caius only got blown up twice.

"S-S-So, what do we do next?" Claudia asked hesitantly. She noticed their meisters had grown deathly quiet since the announcement. "Anyway to get around it?"

"Nope," Marcellus answered. With a groan, he raked his hands through his light russet hair. "Kid and the others made a mistake. With no means of flight, there's no way we can traverse through a minefield."

"Well, hindsight is 20/20!" Claudia argued. She understood he was being realistic, but the circumstances did not call for that. This wasn't a matter of can or cannot. "We can't just sit here and mope around! We have to do something! Everyone is _depending_ on us! There must be a way, there always is!"

 _"Is she always like this?"_ Marcellus wanted to ask Caius but opted not to. His head pounded a little as he took out his lollipop, losing his sweet tooth. _"I desperately need a nap right now. This is just so troublesome."_

Tsuji kept his eyes forward. Although he couldn't see the bombs, now that Marcellus said something, he felt their presence all around him. They were like harsh phantoms, whispering poisonous thoughts to make him surrender, appealing to his personal demons.

The dark-haired boy lifted his head to the rust-colored sky. _"Hey, Old Lady, you listenin' to me? What would you do in a situation like this?"_

The wind picked up, causing all of the trees to sway and the fallen leaves to swirl. Tsuji closed his eyes, feeling the cool breeze against his face, only for them to shoot right back open when an idea finally reached his mind. It was ambitious, but at least it was something. Smiling, the archer stood tall. _"Heh. That so sounds like you, Ma."_

"I got a plan."

All eyes fell on Tsuji. Hope returned to Caius's face, Claudia beamed excitedly, and Marcellus watched him warily, the only person in disbelief. Beads of sweat formed on the Bow Meister's face as he continued to stare forward, hesitant to speak. The three grew impatient, but before anyone could speak, Tsuji did the unthinkable.

He sprinted.

The ground suddenly shook, a violent upheaval that forced Caius to stab his lance into the ground to keep himself upright. He and Claudia stared on in absolute shock as walls and blasts of fire tore up the ground and burned the forests. Trees small and large were uprooted and thrown about by the quakes, and the earth itself groaned as slabs of land broke apart from their foundation.

Unable to form coherent words, Claudia and Caius made out Tsuji running through the explosions.

Heart racing as fast as his legs, Tsuji found every reason in the world to keep his pace at maximum and then some. He raced through the minefield in an almost blind panic, narrowly avoiding every explosive he triggered. He veered left to avoid flying wooden debris that he guessed came from a mine activated by another. _"Oh, God! Oh, God! OH GOD!"_ He thought wildly, having a hard time believing he was actually doing this.

" _I swear to God the Father_!" Marcellus screamed out, every bit as frightened as his meister, " _This is the stupidest, the most absurd, the craziest, the... the..._!"

"You done bitchin' yet?!" Tsuji asked cheekily, dodging trees as the ground quaked beneath his feet. "Tell me I'm going in the right direction as the witches!"

At a cliff, Eruka and the Mizune Sisters watched the forest light up, caught in a blazing inferno. Eruka smiled deviously to herself as she balanced Medusa's crystal ball on one hand. "It looks like those fools were caught in my Tadpole Bomb Minefield."

"Chichichi!" The family of mouse witches squeaked, wishing they had popcorn.

"Yep." Eruka replied with an excited nod. "As usual, Medusa made the right call letting some of them chase us. There's no escape for them." Ignoring the detonation of her minefield, the frog witch looked closely as the crystal ball.

"Chichi?"

"Well, yeah, she said just dump it in the ocean." Eruka titled her head curiously, cocking her hip to one side. "No special ritual, no throwing it down, no nothing. I guess she wants to make sure they have absolutely zero chances of getting it back."

All five Mizune nodded in agreement. Medusa was a brilliant scientist and tactician in her own right; there was little reason to question her designs. Well, they weren't done yet, so it was time to go on. When most of them turned around to follow a departing Eruka, one of the Mizune noticed something. "Chichi?!"

"Huh?" This caught Eruka's attention as she turned back around. Now that she said something, the explosions did look closer than expected. Frowning, Eruka narrowed her eyes. In fact, if the calculations done in her head were correct, that was her last line of defense.

Which meant one thing.

On cue, Tsuji scaled up the cliff and spotted his targets. "Found you!" Hobbling swiftly over to them, he planted his javelin in the ground, flipped himself, and kicked off the shaft to propel himself away from the Witches. "Meteor Javelin!"

The javelin lit up and burst into a small explosion of blue and white. Tsuji landed a few meters behind it, holding out his hand as the javelin returned to his hand in a flash. He placed his other hand on his chest, trying to calm his still-racing heart and even his erratic breathing. His face and hands were raw from the convective heat of the mines, and his hair, wet from sweat, matted against his head.

Tsuji lifted the javelin up to his face. "If I smell, it's cuz I soiled myself."

Marcellus's face appeared on the javelin's crystal ball, face paler than a ghost. "No, I'm pretty sure that's me."

The two heard rustling and looked to see Caius catching up with them. He pointed his finger at the younger male like a parent admonishing a child. "You are insane." He then captured the archer in a hug, grateful he was safe and that his plan worked. "But thanks, friend."

"Uh, yeah, yeah, let go of me." Tsuji pried himself away from Caius, turning to the lingering smoke. "OK, so we succeeded in that, now where's—"

"The only thing you 'succeeded' in, gentlemen..."

Tsuji's and Caius's stomachs churned as a presence stirred in the smoke. The first thing they saw were a pair of glowing eyes. Then the pressure built up as the person exuded her power, hoping to intimidate them. Finally, the figure stepped out – a tall woman dressed in black and white, surrounded by a purple soul with whiskers and mouse ears.

"...is ticking me off."

No amount of classes, training, or missions could prepare someone for the wrath of a Witch.

* * *

Harvar, Tsubaki, Soul, Nayumi, and Rowena formed a line in front of the defenseless others as a large man entered the rest area, his ball-and-chain rattling behind him. Free's Magic Eye gleamed as he showed a mouthful of sharp teeth.

"Looks like there was a bit of a problem with your planning, kids." His wavelength flared, surrounding his body in green and blue light. Free hunched over as his muscle began to expand, a guttural growl lacing his already baritone voice. "Hope you're ready because I'm not about to show any mercy!"

Free's canines enlarged, his teeth grew sharper, and black and grey hair covered him. Once he fully entered his werewolf form, he threw his head back and released a mighty roar, causing the room to shake.

Soul gritted his teeth, stealing glances of the door Free just came from. _"Kid, what the heck are you doing? You said you had him!"_ He briefly looked over his shoulder. Maka and Crona hugged an apathetic Blackstar for dear life, Kilik had the Pot Twins in his arms and glared at the werewolf, and Ox lied on the floor in a daze. _"Not much we can do but hold our ground."_

Free took one step, sizing up his competition, when his sensitive ears picked up on something in the distance, the distinct sound of a skateboard. _"More readable than a book."_ His Magic Eye flashed, making a gesture with two of his fingers on each hand. "Ice Pillar!"

Kid rode his skateboard full speed ahead, focused on the Soul Wavelength of the Immortal. So much so, when a huge pillar of ice got in his way, Kid could do nothing about it. "What the-?!" The Grim Reaper crashed straight through the ice with great force, fell off his skateboard, and dropped his guns. Kid groaned in pain and writhed on the floor, covered in icy chunks. "Damn, that hurt!"

"KID!" Everyone shouted in concern. During that moment, nobody paid attention to the enemy.

"Wolf, wolves, wolf, wolves." Free chanted, taking aim at the group in front of him. "Ice Spindle!"

A large cone of ice burst out of the ground, and everyone anxiously held their breaths. Someone was about to get hurt, and it was because they let their guard down – a rookie mistake.

"GUH!"

The Ice Spindle actually impaled Free himself, and everyone breathed again. "Aw, come on!" Free coughed, pulling himself off the ice spike. Immediately, the wound closed up. "I've been working on this stuff ever since I got out and I _still_ hit myself!" The gurgle lacing his voice disappeared as the destroyed blood vessels healed. "But that's okay. I'm imm—"

"Death Cannon."

Two blasts struck Free right in his back, forcing the Immortal to cry out and fall over. Soul and the others shielded their eyes as the smoke quickly filled the room. Kid stood up and dropped his arms, the cannons transforming back to normal pistols.

"Did that get him?" Liz asked, peering into the smoke. With a quick glance, she noticed the smoke rapidly escaping into the open space. Apparently, the barrier Krysa mentioned was gone.

"Ice Fist!"

Free shot out like a predator ambushing its prey, both of his hands encased in balls of ice. "That's a no." Kid replied, backpedaling as the werewolf pursued him. "Everyone else, stay back! The plan hasn't changed!"

"Good luck, Kid!" Tsubaki called out as Soul, Nayumi, and Harvar pushed the others back as far back to safety as possible. The Shadow Weapon then spotted Rowena standing in her same spot, gritting her teeth as she watched the battle. Tsubaki ran over and grabbed her arm. "Come on, Rowena, let Kid handle this. We'll just get in his way."

Rowena released a frustrated huff. "Yeah, yeah." She begrudgingly followed Tsubaki.

"Icicle Fist!" The ice around his hands spread to cover Free's entire forearms, becoming denser in the process. Kid yelled with exertion as he unloaded shot after shot at the charging Free. Because of his high resistance to pain, that didn't stop him at all. "Take this!" The Immortal tried to strike with one of his Icicle Fists, but Kid leapt over it, still shooting at him.

Pivoting on one of his legs, Free swung the ball-and-chain attached to his other. Unable to do anything in the air without his skateboard, Kid screwed his eyes shut and took the hard hit. Smirking like a feral animal, Free tapped into the magic reverses of the Magic Eye. "Time for an encore! Ice Pillar!"

Summoning another ice pillar, Kid's body flew straight into it like last time, the crash sending the ice out like fragments of shattered glass.

"Kid!" Liz cried out again. Free was fighting a lot better than she remembered.

"Come on, Kid, get up! You can beat this ugly fur-ball!" Patty shouted encouragingly.

Kid shrugged the larger slabs of ice off of him, getting on his hands and knees. Blood began to dribble down his face and his breathing became heavy. _"Perhaps I should've sampled a little of that healing potion."_ Kid forgot he was running on just his endurance and had little rest since this 'mission' started. Now, he was fighting a strong and fresh opponent like Free. He heard loud footfalls and looked to see Free standing above him.

"Finally, I get to kill a Reaper."

Kid glared back, slowly getting into a kneeling position. "I never took you for someone to hate my kind so much."

"Don't take it personally. There's a lot of people I blame. Reapers, Witches, you name it." Free encased his right arm with more ice, hoping Kid wouldn't react as fast, but the boy shot away from the following punch. "I guess your dad hasn't told you about the Immortal Clan persecution during the Period of Destruction."

Kid landed on the ground, making sure he wouldn't stay in the air as long as before. "What are you babbling about?"

"I'm talking about the darkest part of history. Humans waged wars, Witches attacked indiscriminately and through whatever means, and Death got desperate. We'd be here all day talking about all the crazy stuff that happened." As Free talked, he summoned more Ice Spindles that tracked Kid, but his mobility made them irrelevant. "The Immortal Clan persecution... Death sent his men to eliminate us because we go against his 'rules.' Our immorality challenges death."

"Blasphemy!" Kid roared, rage building up inside of him. "My father would never endorse pointless slaughter! I'm sure the Immortal Clan did something to merit persecution! And I will not tolerate you talking ill of him!"

Free released an infuriated roar of his own. "You follow that reaper so blindly that you think you can run anyone that's different from you! Your god sees us as 'evil.' Who is he to judge us for who we are?!" His fingers twitched in anticipation at the prospect of ripping up the Reaper before him. "Wolves, genies, vampires, and many other immortal creatures... Our fate is controlled by human rues. If any of them threatens a human's way of life, they're killed. Then when there's not many Immortals left, they're taken into custody. I don't want a crappy future like that!"

His green, Mixed Soul exploded out of him, the room shaking as if an earthquake was passing by. "And it's not just Death, it's that damn Witch Council too! They think everyone is beneath them! The whole reason I plucked out Mabaa's Magic Eye was to teach them a lesson _and_ be able to fend for myself! No more... Now it's _my_ turn to judge!"

The middle line of Kid's Lines of Sanzu flashed, removed itself from his hair, and connected. His soul expanded, beating out that of Free, as the pressure in the room escalated. Soul honestly thought it was going to cave in at this rate. _"This is crazy! No wonder Kid said he'll handle this!"_

"And those selfish ideals are exactly why you can't judge anyone," Kid whipped his arms out to the side, the pistols changing into Death Eagles, "The DWMA has been in a defensive war ever since its inception. We don't attack without reason."

Free grunted. He should have expected the Reaper brat to stand by his beliefs. "I'm through talking. It's time we settle this."

For all his talk, Kid scoffed at Free's idea of judging – teaming up with the most notorious Witches ever known. But Medusa wasn't his opponent. "For once, we agree on something."

This was no longer a battle, but a clash of ideals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally cranked this one out. With football season now officially over, I've got plenty more time (and energy) left to spare, but since exams are starting, guess where a lot of my brain power is going? Man...


	33. Not Enough

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, your best just isn't enough. Today, somebody learns that the hard way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.

**Not Enough**  
  
“Vector Arrow!”  
  
Trying to shoot her down again, Medusa sent more black and purple vectors at the airborne Kim, but it was like trying to kill a fly without a flyswatter – a very annoying endeavor. One Vector Arrow soared through the air, directly in Kim’s flight path, but she saw it coming. Kim angled her ‘broomstick’ to block it and retaliated by sending a fireball at Medusa.  
  
“Pest.” The snake witch leapt out of the way and fired more Vector Arrows. This time she knew Kim was too far away to go down the middle.  
  
Yet Kim still had answers up her sleeve. “Jackie, quickly. We need Soul Resonance! Prometheus!”  
  
“Right!”  
  
As they resonated, the lamp generated a large amount of flames that shaped into a circular shield, blocking all of the Vector Arrows and burning up any that tried to power their way through. Medusa grinned, cocking her hip to one side. “Interesting. I see you’ve been working on some things.”  
  
“Don’t mock me.”  
  
“I believe you’ve said that already.” Medusa pointed out, holding out her hand and shooting out more Vector Arrows.   
  
Using aerodynamics and her Prometheus Soul Resonance, Kim avoided getting hit by them. In fact, as the battle went on, Jacqueline noticed something. Whispering, she addressed her partner, “Hey, Kim? Have you noticed Medusa has gotten slower?”  
  
“Sure have.” Kim answered back in the same tone of voice. An idea came to her at that instant, and she decided to act on it.  _“Try and keep your eyes on me, Medusa.”_  Leaning forward, the lamp jetted out a torrent of fire, rocketing Kim forward at a faster speed than ever.  
  
Although surprised, Medusa concentrated on manipulating the direction of her vectors.  _“What is she planning?!”_  
  
Jumping off Change “Pixie,” Kim detached the shaft and grabbed the chain in one swift movement. “Wollantern!” She swung the lantern at the floor and Jacqueline created a large explosion, blanketing the area between Kim and Medusa with smoke and fire. Unable to see her target, the vectors blindly went through the aftermath.  
  
Medusa frowned and narrowed her eyes.  _“Just what is she up to?”_  She summoned vectors around her just in case.  
  
At that moment, heat pooled beneath her feet. That was when fire burst from underground, circumventing her barrier of vectors, and exploded. The snake witch hissed in pain, one eye screwed shut, recognizing that to be Crawling Fire from before.  _“She planted that when she hit the ground to divert my attention!”_    
  
As Medusa recovered from being hit, Kim rushed out of the dying smoke, preparing to use Wollantern one more time.  _“I got her now!”_  
  
Suddenly, something grabbed her from behind and pulled her back. Looking over her shoulder, Kim saw it was a giant snake snatching her up. “H-hey!  _Let go_!” She demanded, thrashing in its mouth. The snake proceeded to throw her into the opposite wall. Releasing a strained cry, Kim’s wounds reopened from the impact, the girl spilling to the floor and dropping Jackie.   
  
“KIM!" Jacqueline returned to a human form to check up on her meister.  
  
Meanwhile, the snake slithered to Medusa, growing smaller and smaller until it was back to a tattoo on her arm. Chuckling sinisterly, she sat down and let her Tail Snake support her weight. She hummed at the relief her legs felt. “I must admit, you almost had me there.”  
  
Kim sat up with the help of her partner, releasing a frustrated huff.  _“If that rule we get recompensed for being sent on errant missions is still in effect, they better be ready to cough up stacks of cash.”_  
  
“But don’t feel too proud of yourself,” Medusa held up a finger, voicing her trail of thoughts, “Between fighting you, developing Ouroboros, planting all of those vectors around the island, I guess I’m not exactly at full strength. Not to mention using Reanimation Magic on Atlas.”  
  
Eyes dilating in shock, Kim slowly lifted to head up to look Medusa right in her eyes. “You used  _what_?”  
  
Medusa’s smirk broadened. “Oh? You recognize the name of that particular spell?”  
  
Jacqueline exchanged confused looks between the two Witches. “W-What’s Reanimation Magic?”  
  
“Oh, I’ll take the honor of explaining it,” Medusa said proudly, “It’s when you take a dead or a half-dead thing, patch it up to your liking, and send it out to do as you please. The soul is optional, but in my case, I wanted Atlas to be detectable and let it have access to its powers when it was alive.”  
  
Kim growled, shooting up to her feet. “You’re forgetting the part where you strip it of free will and the ability to communicate, turning it into a puppet stuck between life and death! It’s  _inhumane_!”  
  
“It’s  _convenient_ ,” Medusa calmly contested, “It’s so much better than that off-shoot Necromancy that witch Samantha used. For a decently strong person, it takes the minimum amount of magic energy to cast and you get a minion that you can customize to your fancy.”  
  
“It’s  _forbidden_!” Kim shouted back. Jacqueline recoiled in fear; she never heard Kim speak with such volume. “Both the Witch Council and Lord Death pronounced it as outlawed magic! Even the Warlock who created it got executed once the full details were made public!”  
  
“You of all people should know defying gods is in a witch’s job description.” The older woman reveled in the look of sheer anger on Kim’s face. The young girl’s eyes were glowing, and her magic power flared around her. All marks of a true Witch. Medusa laughed callously as vectors appeared behind her and swayed like beckoning fingers. “Oh, in case you were wondering, I only used it on Atlas. If you want Krysa, I believe she’s trapped in her cell at the underground levels.”  
  
“Don’t change the subject! How did you find out about it? All records of it were destroyed, especially the way to cast it.”  
  
Medusa simply shrugged her shoulders. “Don’t you know by now I tend to discover things meant to be hidden?”  
  
“Jacqueline. Transform now.” Kim barked out. As if she needed more reasons to hate Medusa, she now was guilty of playing with life and dead, an offense against her new master Lord Death. As one of his students and soldiers, Kim had to make Medusa pay.   
  
“O-O-Okay.” Jacqueline gulped nervously before returning to her lantern form. “Please don’t do anything reckless, Kimial.” The Demon Lantern only used Kim’s true forename whenever she was serious about something, which was many times during Kim’s days in the NOT Class.   
  
“I got it.” Kim reassured, tightly gripping the lantern by its handle. The other had the chain and the last magic potion. This was the best time to use her trump card, when Medusa expected her to charge in carelessly out of rage. When she ran straight forward, the Gorgon’s mocking laughter told Kim she had her.   
  
“I suppose I should’ve expected much from someone taught by Dr. Stein. Oh well.” Outstretching her arms, Medusa unleashed her Vector Arrows. “Do us both a favor and die, sweetie.”  
  
Knowing it was now and never, she surreptitiously downed her healing potion in one gulp.   
  
Once the vectors came, every last pain receptor in her body ignited. Kim honestly thought she should have blacked out then and there; this was twenty times worse than when Harvar impaled her. She could faintly hear Jacqueline crying out, possibly scared to death, but she didn’t know for sure.   
  
Her body moving on autopilot, Kim ran through the piercing vectors, her blood strewing the floor. Having the presence of mind to know Medusa was close, she stopped right in front of her. If her mind weren’t so hazy, she would have taken a second to appreciate the look of sheer incredulity on Medusa’s face. Instead, Kim shoved her lantern right in it. “ _Jackie, now_!”  
  
“RIGHT!”  
  
She unleashed a single Wollantern, Medusa’s agonized scream louder than the explosion itself. The vectors instantly vanished as Medusa staggered backwards, holding her face with her only good arm. The other, the same one hurt from the fire clone trick, was now layered with fourth-degree burns, and the snake tattoo was half-gone. Kim herself also reeled back, feeling lightheaded and feverish. She guessed it was the healing potion working overtime.  
  
“That’s it…” Shaking with anger, Medusa straightened up and turned back to Kim. The middle Gorgon child no longer had a right eye; the younger witch had burned it shut. “I’ve let you live  _far_  longer than I should have. _Light Serpent_!”  
  
Kim barely had time to dodge her the snake familiar, and she stumbled to the floor after tripping on her own feet. She saw it coming back toward and quickly mounted Change “Pixie” to get back into the air.  _“Thank goodness I saved that potion.”_  She herself was surprised she could react that fast after feeling woozy seconds before. But even on the floor, her body was wobbly. It was not accustomed to pain without it being gone seconds later.   
  
Medusa summoned her other snake familiar, but like her face, it was horribly marred. She even had to whisper soft words to the groaning serpent. Kim gulped as the snake witch returned her glare to her.  _“No, you got her on the ropes. You can do this. Anytime now, I’ll have my Regeneration Magic back and the others will bust in here to take over.”_  
  
Her turquoise eyes glowing in determination, and Medusa’s yellow ones in anger, Kim knew the hardest part of the battle was coming up.   
  
After all, Medusa Gorgon wasn’t smiling anymore.   
  


* * *

  
  
“Ice Sphere!”  
  
Watching Free create a giant ice boulder in a matter of seconds and hurl it, Kid sidestepped the Ice Sphere and fired more shots. The werewolf had adjusted to the increased power of the Death Eagles; he wasn’t flinching as obviously as before.   
  
“Ice Shackle Bullet!”  
  
Free’s ball and chain rattled as he swung his leg, forming an Ice Sphere on the ball. Scoring a successful hit on Kid, the teen was pressed in the ground. With a roar, Free kept moving in a circle to drag Kid across the dirt and into the wall. The ice shattered on contact and chunks of stone flew out on contact.   
  
“Kid, what’s the matter?!” Liz questioned.  
  
“Yeah, are you tired? You’re not fighting as well even with one of your stripes around your head.” Patty said, the normal chirp in her voice now soft and solemn.  
  
Kid panted heavily, rising out of the fallen ice and stone. Free simply stood there, sizing him up and assuredly figuring out his next courses of action. The young Reaper limped out of the debris.  _“I really should’ve sampled that elixir.”_  He suppressed a sigh. He was approaching his physical limits, and every time Free struck a heavy blow, it made him more and more exhausted. But he couldn’t lose here. There were people on the far side of the room he needed to protect.   
  
 _“You follow that reaper so blindly that you think you can run anyone that's different from you! Your god sees us as ‘evil.’ Who is he to judge us for who we are?!”_  
  
 _“Father, what on Earth has happened in your long life?”_  Sucking in air into his nose to expel all distracting thoughts, Kid charged and took aim with his guns.  _“I must wear him down some more, slow down his speed. I’ll fake out him out and counterattack.”_  
  
“A Vasili: Frigid Jailhouse.”  
  
Kid underestimated just how much slower he was now. The remaining ice from Ice Shackle Bullet flew over as the residual moisture around him froze over. Within seconds, the ice formed the shape of a police cell around the Shinigami’s lower body. “No way!” Gritting his teeth, he tried to pry his legs out, but it was like trying to dent slabs of iron. He then started shooting at the ice, chipping away at it.   
  
Now that his attention was off of him, Free sprinted over to his trapped prey, producing slabs of ice over both of his hands. “You’re mine!”   
  
“ _Kid_!” Everyone shouted in concern.   
  
The look of horror on Kid’s face was too much for Rowena to take. “ _Aw, screw this_!” She rushed over, ignoring the calls of her name from Tsubaki and Nayumi. Steeling her nerves, the girl threw herself between Free and Kid. The ice punch nailed Rowena right in her gut, sending her into Kid, all of the ice breaking on contact.   
  
Free titled his head in confusion. “Hey, I didn’t know you could ask for lifelines.” The werewolf rolled his neck, preparing for the new task at hand. “But that’s okay, I guess. I’m immortal. I can handle it.”  
  
“Rowena!” Liz cried out, her reflection on the surface of the pistol. “You okay?”  
  
“Oh, I’m fine!” Rowena said confidently, getting on her feet at the same time as Kid. Even though her strength was gone, the durability she gained as a by-product remained. She took a gamble diving in front of Kid, and it paid off. She tossed a grin at the dumbfounded Reaper and told him, “You were getting your ass beat, so I’m here to lend a hand.”  
  
“Rowena, you can’t fight in your condition.” He contended.  
  
“Doesn’t mean I can’t be useful.” Rowena looked forward, her yellow eyes burning a glare into Free’s blank ones. She then raised her voice so that everyone could hear her. “There’s a reason why we’re a team. We back each other up no matter what! We were stupid to think Kid and the others could fight these guys all on their own. They need us now more than ever! If we’re going to survive, I want everyone, and I mean  _everyone_ , who can throw a punch to go somewhere and  _help one of them fight_!   
  
Even with her being riddled with cowardice, Maka understood Rowena’s impassioned speech clearly. “R-Rowena…” Her mouth dried up and her legs shook, but she willed herself away from the wall she took refuge near. “Y-You’re absolutely right. We need to be there.” She clenched her fists. “I may not have my courage, but I am still a Meister and a DWMA student… I’m going to see about Kim and Jackie!”  
  
“Right there with you, Maka!” Soul and Crona shouted, running after the sprinting girl.   
  
Free faced the direction of the fleeing students. “Wait, what? No! Don’t go anywhere!” It was his responsibility to keep these child soldiers in the room. Medusa would be severely disappointed if they escaped. “Wolf, wolves—”  
  
“Go, Smoke Bomb Mode!”  
  
Tsubaki enveloped the area in thick brown smoke. Free continuously whipped around in a frenzy. He could not see, and all he could hear were rapid footfalls, unable to determine who they belonged to. When he tried to detect them by scent, the smoke hid them with its own distinctive smell. “Oh come on, no fair!”  
  
“Death Cannon.”  
  
The blast tore through the smoke and hit Free directly in his head. The werewolf howled, falling over on his side. “That definitely was not fair!” He coughed out, holding his head. He was sure some of his fur had been singed off.   
  
After the smoke cloud dissipated, Kid assumed the Stance of Punishment. In addition, shadow skull arms gripped Rowena by her shoulders and hips. “Since you don’t mind, I’ll be using you as a shield, Rowena.”  
  
“That’s cool. I can take a hit!” Rowena glanced over to the side. “Tsubaki, don’t be afraid to jump in whenever you want. I doubt he’s gonna hurt Blackstar and Nayumi.”  
  
“Okay!”  
  
Kid glanced at the open sky, letting this be the last time he thought about something other than winning.  _“Kilik, Harvar, make sure things go accordingly.”_  
  


* * *

  
Nobody knew a game of cat and mouse could be so dangerous. Or that the mouse could be the aggressor.  
  
Caius sprinted at a fleeing Eruka, fixated on the crystal ball in her arms. Like he anticipated, he saw a flash of black and purple from the corner of his eyes. He raised his lance to block the Beam Whisker heading toward him. “Tsuji, go!”  
  
The black-haired archer raced past Caius, hoping that momentary distraction was enough for him to catch up. Marcellus was on the lookout, and when he saw Mizune, she grinned in an unconcerned manner. That was when he saw a second Beam Whisker lash out at an angle. “Head’s up!”   
  
Even with the prior warning, the Beam Whisker still struck the ground in front of Tsuji, uprooting plates of earth to knock him off his feet. Caius whipped his head to the direction of the calamity, completely taking his attention off of Mizune. “ _Tsuji_!”  
  
“Got you two now!” Mizune swung her arms as the black and purple beams protruded from every single one of her fingertips. Two Beam Whiskers each clamped around Tsuji and Caius like a pair of scissors while the others cut their prone bodies. The mouse twitch delighted in hearing the boys shout and groan in pain, their bodies spilling to the ground as she dismissed her Beam Whiskers.  _“That’s what you DWMA jerks get for killing my sister.”_  
  
Mizune glanced at the spectating Eruka. “Don’t you have a crystal ball to be getting rid of, Eru-Eru?”   
  
“Aw, but I wanted to watch. Ribbit.”  
  
Mizune shook her head, shooing her away with a wave of her hand. “Don’t. The last thing we need is Medusa getting on our cases because we decided to get cocky. Get to the waterfall already.”  
  
“Okay, fine.”   
  
Caius and Tsuji gripped their ribs, faces contorted with agony. If they had to describe how they felt, they would say as if they were torn in half. The fires of pain Mizune dealt with each blow never ebbed, making it increasingly harder to focus on getting the crystal ball.   
  
Mizune slowly stepped up to them as Eruka scuttled away. “You know, your goal is pathetically obvious. It’s not going to help trying to fight against someone like me.”  
  
“Say that after we get our powers back.” Caius retorted, turning to glare defiantly at the witch. Using his lance as a crutch, he rose to his feet. “Claudia, I need your help.”  
  
“Right.” She knew what that meant. It was finally time to use her new technique again.  
  
“Soul Resonance: Song of the Souls!”   
  
With no further warning, Caius sprung into motion, leaping into the air and flipping end over end, bringing his lance down. Mizune summoned a single Beam Whisker from her index finger and parried the blow easily, knocking him back down to the ground. Remaining diligent, Caius spun around his toes with his weapon extended, a result of Claudia’s ministrations. Mizune jumped backwards, taking refuge into the shrubbery. Caius rushed after her and, with a twirl, sliced through the shrubs and the thick tree with them.  
  
Nothing.   
  
“What?!” Caius gritted his teeth, gripping his lance tighter as he and Claudia both searched around.  
  
“Chichi. Look out below!”  
  
Her voice sounded younger, a higher inflection that reminded him of Maka’s. Looking up, he saw a teenaged version of the mouse witch, accompanied by one looking suspiciously like a toddler. The latter swung a single Beam Whisker that Caius managed to avoid, but that left him wide open for the teenaged Mizune who slashed him with three, claw-like Beam Whiskers.  
  
“Caius!” Claudia screamed, feeling the link between them disappear. He fell to the ground, reintroduced to the pain, and struggled to get back up. He was in no condition to stay synched. “Caius, get up!”  
  
The blue-haired teen forced his eyes open, only to greet a blur. He felt his face to see that he lost his glasses. Desperately, he grouped around the surrounding ground for them, but he froze up once he heard a crack. Turning to the source of the sound, he barely managed to make out a pawed foot.  
  
“Oops. Did I do that?” the teenaged Mizune asked smugly, grinding the broken frames into the dirt. She relished in the defeated look that swept across his face. Just then, she heard quick chattering from her toddler counterpart. “Huh? What’s the matter?” She turned around and her eyes widened in horror.   
  
Tsuji was gone.  
  
“ _Dang it_!” the teenaged Mizune screeched, breaking out into a sprint as the toddler flew after her. At this point, Caius couldn’t make much of a difference anymore. She’d kill him later. “We got so caught up toying with Four Eyes we forgot about the other guy!”   
  
Meanwhile, Eruka finally reached the sole river on Cobra Island, one that eventually led to a waterfall and the ocean. The frog witch dismounted Tadpole Jackson and approached the riverside. A smile formed on her face, the witch pride praising her for her victory against the Academy. “Game over.”  
  
The next thing she knew, Tsuji ran into her with the force of a speeding semi.  
  
He tackled her into the river, creating a big and loud splash. The crystal ball was the first thing to resurface, quickly being carried away by the raging currents. Tsuji was the next, grabbing onto a nearby stone and lifting himself out of the water to stand on it. His chartreuse eyes instantly locked on the crystal ball running downstream. “There it is!”  
  
“N-No you d-don’t! Ribbit!” Tsuji turned around to see Eruka holding on to the riverbank to stay afloat. She began summoning something in her free hand. “Ribbit frog ribbit frog croak ribbit croak croak.” Within the bright yellow light, three Tadpole Bombs appeared right above her palm.  
  
Around this time, both versions of Mizune appeared, slicing through all of the trees in their way with their Beam Whiskers. “There you are, you little punk!”  
  
Eruka tossed the three Tadpoles Bombs at Tsuji. While he lacked his aim, his instincts as an archer let him know there were three targets and three bombs. “You ever play ‘Kick the Can’?” Using his foot, he kicked the bombs up and did another kick to send two to the Mizunes and one to Eruka. The witches screamed as the bombs made contact and exploded.  
  
“Nice job,” Marcellus spoke up, turning his gaze to the river and noticing the crystal ball was out of sight, “But it’s time to get a move on!”  
  
The black-haired boy jumped up and placed his javelin under his feet, using it as a surfboard to ride the currents. Tsuji heard crying and looked up to see Tadpole Jackson flying over his head with its ‘tail’ on fire. “HA-HA! That’s what you get!”   
  
The Mizunes stumbled through the smoke and fell into the river. In a flash of light, they reemerged in their singular adult form, the woman helplessly flailing about. “Ch-chichichi!  _I can’t swim_! H-Help!”   
  
“Mizune!” Eruka swam over to her and supported Mizune so she could keep her head above the surface. At that moment, she saw Tsuji disappear over the horizon, now with nothing stopping him from getting the crystal ball. The frog witch’s face turned white as a ghost, dreading every consequence to come. “We’re doomed.”  
  
Tsuji had his eyes locked on to the crystal ball up ahead, watching it get thrown about by the river’s strong currents. Like when he was running, he leaned forward so that he would naturally go faster.  _“I can do this. I can do this. Baby, I can DO this!”_  In that moment, the confidence he lost returned. With a large grin, he swerved through the currents, getting closer and closer to the crystal ball.  _“It’s all in the bag. Don’t worry, guys, we’ll be back in action in a few seconds!”_  
  
“Go, Ricardsen, go!” Marcellus cheered him on. This was the opportunity they needed, that miracle waiting to happen.   
  
Riding down one last incline, Tsuji found himself at the mouth of the river and could hear the distant roar of the waterfall. Seeing the crystal ball travel past the rocks, he quickly jumped onto one of them, retrieving his javelin in the process, and skipped across them. His reached his free hand out and, when he landed on a flat stone, scooped the artifact out of the water. “Got it!”  
  
As soon as he said that, Tsuji heard a squeak. The next thing he knew, Tadpole Jackson knocked him over, making him lose his hold on the artifact. Stabbing the javelin into the riverbed so he couldn’t be swept up by the currents, Tsuji’s look of victory vanished as he watched the crystal ball disappear over the river’s mouth.   
  
“…No… No, no, no, no, no.” His whole body starting to shake, sweat running down his face, and his heartbeat suddenly accelerating, Tsuji scrambled over to the edge, using the javelin as a crutch to keep him steady. All he could see was the roaring waterfall and the ocean itself.   
  
“No…” Tsuji leaned against the javelin, running a hand through his hair before tightly gripping his bangs. His body lurched over in defeat, silent sobs escaping him. “I’m sorry, guys.”  
  
Marcellus’s heart ached, but someone had to voice the reality.  
  
“We failed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This should tell you that I happen to be a cruel author.
> 
> Since this may or may not be my last update until after Christmas, I just want to say Merry Christmas 2015, patrons of this website! Happy Kwanzaa and Hanukah and all that jazz.
> 
> Next update will be the final fight against Medusa.


	34. For All That You’ve Done: Crona and Medusa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Today, someone learns the hard way that not all plans are foolproof, and that the wronged can and will fight back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.

**For All That You’ve Done: Crona and Medusa**  
  
Fearing the worst, Eruka and Mizune arrived at the mouth of the river. As soon as they did, Tadpole Jackson hopped over to Eruka and nuzzled against her. The frog witch petted her familiar. “Hey there, boy, why are you so happy?”  
  
In his own language, Tadpole Jackson told the two Witches what happened and pointed at Tsuji with his tail. The boy remained rooted in the same spot as before. At this point, Marcellus noticed them, and his heart thumped as an electric shock coursed through his chest. “Uh, Tsuji? Move! They’re here!”   
  
Tsuji instead vacantly stared over the edge of the waterfall like he’d been doing for the past minute or so.  
  
Helpless as he looked, Eruka let her witch pride take hold of her. With a giggle, she spoke, “Well, well, it’s too bad all of that was for nothing. It’s OK, there’s only so much you can do with human hands.” She and Mizune snickered; Tsuji remained motionless. “Well, at least you’re not in there. I shudder to think what that snake Medusa is doing.”  
  
Tsuji stood up, and Marcellus’s blood chilled at the wave of malevolence he sensed. “Ts-Tsuji?”   
  
Mizune flexed her fingers, preparing to draw Beam Whiskers. She figured she would knock him out and send him over for Medusa to handle. “So what are you going to do—?”  
  
Words clogged in her throat when she spotted the orange glints in his eyes as he turned around. The next thing Mizune knew, Tsuji rushed past her like a speeding bullet, knocked her and Tadpole Jackson aside, and tackled Eruka. The frog witch couldn’t scream, for Tsuji had seized ahold of her neck and slammed her into the water. Eruka kicked her legs and tried to pry his hands away, but his grip was like iron, and she was losing both oxygen and strength fast. Her vision started to blur, but even then, she could clearly see Tsuji’s glowing orange eyes burning into her own like a laser.  
  
 _“H-he's a behemoth.”_  
  
“You tricked me and the others to go on this stupid mission.” Tsuji finally said, his voice calm but full of contempt. But, as he continued to speak, he raised his voice. “You watched Medusa use us like toys. You freaking _helped_ her! I don’t care what the circumstances are, you’re just as guilty in my eyes! You’ve ruined us! _They were depending on me and you screwed it all up for us_! _You goddamn witch, I’ll KILL you_!”  
  
Mizune managed to regain her bearings and saw a deranged Tsuji suffocating her closest friend. Her own eyes glowed with rage and summoned a Beam Whisker on every one of her fingers. “ _Get off her_!” With one stroke, the mouse witch slashed Tsuji in several spots of his body, knocking him away. She quickly hurried over to Eruka and pulled out of her water. The younger girl gasped for air and coughed to expel water. Tears streamed down her face in rivulets as she held onto Mizune for dear life. “It’s OK, Eru-Eru, I’m here.” She shushed the hysterical girl and petted her head.   
  
Marcellus, having returned to a human form, rushed over to his fallen partner. “Tsuji, y-you okay?”   
  
Groaning, Tsuji used a nearby rock to elevate himself. His eyes were back to normal, and that evil-feeling wavelength Marcellus sensed was completely gone. “W-What happened, Marce? I blacked out for a few seconds.”  
  
“Are you serious right now?” Marcellus glanced at Eruka and silently wondered how could Tsuji not remember nearly drowning someone in cold blood. His thoughts were broken when he saw Mizune stand after leaving Eruka to Tadpole Jackson. He took a few involuntary step backs; he knew they were in some serious trouble now. “L-Look, girls, we surrender, o-okay? You won. We don’t want any more to do with this. If we got to appeal to your better nature, so be it. Just spare us; we surrender.”  
  
“You _coward_.” Tsuji growled and Marcellus scooted away from him, now feeling more afraid of him than the witch. “You’d rather sit here and kiss their asses?! _After all they’ve done_?! You know, Marcellus, the easy road ain’t always the best. I refuse to suck up to them.”  
  
His gaze dropped as he gritted his teeth. “Besides, we should salvage _some_ of our pride. Ain’t nothing else left for us...” He was a failure, he knew that. He was given one job, and he couldn’t even do that.   
  
“Then, in that case,” Mizune crossed his arms in front of her face, bending the ends of the Beam Whiskers so they resembled scythes. Marcellus immediately transformed into a Demon Bow, and Tsuji subsequently Mode Changed it into a javelin. “It looks like I’ll have to take _that_ away too!”  
  


* * *

  
  
_“Ugh, man, this really sucks.”  
  
“What time is it? I don’t even know. Feels I’ve been here forever.”  
  
“I thought I’d die with stupid Crona. Not in some hole in the middle of outer space.”  
  
“Like what’s all this stuff floating around me? Something’s on fire, another thing’s showing some math that’s making my nonexistent head hurt.”  
  
“You know what? This gotta be God telling me this is what I get for being a Demon Sword. It’s cool, I guess. It could be worse. I could be in Hell burning while Satan laughs like a hyena.”  
  
“But, really, right after Crona finally grows a spine? That’s just mean. Well, at least the stupid cow is there for Crona.”  
  
…  
  
“Uh, are those scorpions? What are they doing here?”  
  
“There’s no food out here. Just this big ball that looks suspiciously like muscle tissue.”  
  
“… Where’d those chains come from?”  
  
“And am I connected to—Hey, quit chewing on them! Oh, what’s the point? They can’t hear me, can’t nobody. This is it for me, huh?”  
  
…  
  
“Hey, the fireball’s gone now. Now, the one that looks like it came straight from a math textbook.”  
  
“Are those things freeing ‘em?!”  
  
“Yeah, that’s right, chew on those chains! Chew on ‘em like the Fountain of Youth is in them!”  
  
“I don’t know what’s going… but, Crona, it’s looks like I’m coming back!”  
  
“Wait for me!” _   
  


* * *

  
  
“Tsuji, jump out of the water!”   
  
“Kilik?!” Blocking one Beam Whisker with his javelin, Tsuji saw the African-Dominican leaping out of the trees. To his surprise, he was wearing his Demon Pots, one of which brimmed with electricity. Mizune looked over her shoulder, and that gave Tsuji the chance to hop out of the river.  
  
“Pot of Thunder, Flash of Lightning!” Kilik drove his gauntlet into the water, which conducted the electricity, and shocked Mizune, Eruka, and Tadpole Jackson. As all three of them screamed in pain, Kilik then called out, “Ox! You’re up, man!”  
  
Ox dashed from the trees behind Tsuji, spinning his spear above-head. “The Royal Thunder Commander has come back!” With a leap, the bald student then slammed the spear onto the edge of the river. “Royal Thunder Quake!” As the shocking intensified, so did Mizune’s, Eruka’s, and Tadpole Jackson’s screaming. Eyes growing irritated from the flashing lights, Tsuji covered his eyes, afterwards hearing an explosion.  
  
Cooked and sapped of their strength, the three were swept up by the currents and taken down the waterfall.   
  
“Looks like we were just in time.” Harvar said thankfully. His image appeared on the tip and glanced at Tsuji. “Are you well?”  
  
“I… guess you can say that.” He sounded halfhearted because he was confused. After Kilik stone-hopped across the river to meet them, Tsuji had to point out the obvious, “But forget me. Ox! You aren’t stupid! And, Kilik, you’re using your Weapons! Better yet, you guys are _here_. And is Caius okay cuz I know left him hanging behind back there.”  
  
“We all decided to help you, Kim, and Kid out,” Kilik answered, “And we met with Caius. He’ll be fine.”  
  
“After that, Ox stopped drooling on himself and started speaking coherent sentences,” Harvar added on, “So, Fire and Thunder transformed, and Kirikou could wield them without a rejection happening.” He tossed a grin toward the black-haired teen, a rare sight indeed to show he was impressed. “All thanks to you, it seems. Great job.”  
  
For some reason, instead of proud, Tsuji felt worse. _“But I didn’t do anything…”_  
  


* * *

  
  
Kid fared better now that he had a shield to absorb most of the hits, but that came with a new problem: making sure he fired around Rowena. Free noticed it too. As Kid took aim over his human shield’s shoulder, the werewolf strafed to the side, forcing him to keep turning. By the time he aligned his pistols, Free was already charging, encasing his fist in ice.   
  
“Kid! Look alive!” Rowena shouted, holding her arms up. The Reaper used the shadow skull arms to put her in front. Free cracked a smirk, predicting this would happen. He threw his punch and nailed Rowena in the gut, forcing her to double over. With Kid now exposed, Free jumped up and struck him in the head with his large tail. Kid tumbled backwards, dragging Rowena along with him.   
  
“Oh, no!” Tsubaki cried out, watching as they hit the wall for the umpteenth time. Her mind raced to think of something to distract the immortal when someone suddenly pulled on her outfit.  
  
“Tsubaki, Chain-Scythe Mode.”  
  
When Free took a step forward, planning to keep up the pressure, something suddenly seized him by the arm and tugged him away. “What the-?!”  
  
“ _Yahoooooooooooo_!” Blackstar closed the gap between himself and werewolf, one hand wielding a chain-scythe and other unoccupied. “Black☆Star Big Wave!” With a single punch, he drove his soul wavelength into Free. Blood shooting from his mouth, Free collapsed onto the ground. Doing a few back-flips to create more distance, knowing that wasn’t enough, Blackstar grinned and used one of the chain-scythes as a microphone. “Ladies and gentlemen, the almighty Blackstar is _finally back in action_!”  
  
Relieved looks appeared on Liz’s, Patty’s, and Nayumi’s faces. “Blackstar!”  
  
Shoulders slumping, Kid took a deep breath. “Thank goodness.”   
  
Realizing that the return of Blackstar meant things were back to normal, the younger Thompson then shouted at Nayumi, “Nayuyu, you and Rowena need to get your heads in the game!”  
  
“Oh yeah. You’re right!” Nayumi started skipping over to Rowena. Halfway there, her body dematerialized into formless energy and travelled to the orange-haired girl, turning into a sledgehammer. Unlike last time, Rowena didn’t fall over, and the Ardsen cried hysterically. “Oh, Rowena, I missed you so much!”  
  
Rowena hugged the sledgehammer close to her body like a kid who found her long-lost toy. “No, Nayumi, I missed you so much more!”   
  
“Can you two stop being so dramatic?” Blackstar deadpanned, pointing to Free. “He’s getting up.”  
  
Rowena went from smiling brightly and shedding tears of joy to frowning and glaring. “Yeah, I see that.” She began approaching the werewolf, ignoring her limp and the other pain in her body. She gripped her weapon tightly, channeling all of her rage and frustration into this one attack. Releasing a mighty roar, Rowena swung her sledgehammer, hitting Free directly in his head. That sent him flying, the large man screaming all the while. Once he made contact with the nearest wall, it was if a bomb went off – dust clouds kicked up and stone broke apart with a bang.  
  
Blackstar chuckled, idly twirling a chain-scythe. “Showoff.”  
  
Nayumi deadpanned. “Geez, Rowena, calm down, you crazy ginger.”  
  
Before the dust even settled, the chucks of rock burying Free shifted, and the immortal burst out of them with a howl. This put all three fighters on guard as he walked away from the debris, holding his head. “That hit me right where it hurts, but that’s cool. I’m immortal. I’ll shake it off.”   
  
Blackstar glanced over to the other two to check on their condition. Kid was still panting heavily, at his limits, while Rowena had trouble standing up straight. He also saw her limping; she wasn’t fooling anyone. “Why don’t you two just back me up?”    
  
“Can’t.” Rowena retorted, shooting Free a murderous look, her yellow eyes dimming with malice. “I want a piece of this asshole too.”  
  
Free chuckled, cracking his neck. “I’d be careful flashing looks like that. Some people might get the wrong idea about you.”  
  
“Nah, you and Kid have done enough,” Blackstar continued, shaking his head, “I mean, it’d be stupid of me to make you guys frontline the battle with me. I’ve been sitting on my butt since, what, the second floor? That wouldn’t be big of me.”  
  
“Let Blackstar do this.” Tsubaki added in, “If anything, Kid, Liz, Patty, let’s use Joint Resonance. Rowena and Nayumi, whack him if he catches Blackstar off guard.”  
  
Kid thought long and hard about this, taking into account all of the circumstances. Eventually, Kid dropped his arms and relaxed in posture. “The most I can do is activate Joint Resonance. From then on, Blackstar, it’s your fight.” The Reaper looked over to Rowena and then said, “Rowena, just step in whenever necessary. Like it or not, Blackstar is the star of this fight.”  
  
Rowena chuckled and rested her weapon on the ground by its hammerhead. “Okay, fine. If that’s what you think is best.” Leaning against the weapon, the young girl looked at Blackstar. “Lose and I’ll kick your ass.”  
  
“Not gonna happen.” With a grin, Blackstar raised two fingers up to his face as Tsubaki transformed into the Enchanted Sword.   
  
“Let’s do this.”  
  


* * *

  
  
Right at the door to Medusa’s chambers, Crona stopped and held onto the wall for support. The Sword Meister cramped, feeling something forcing its way back into its body. The void was gone, and Crona’s eyes shot open in realization. “W-Wait a minute. That means…”  
  
“ _Pee-Yow_!” Ragnarok burst out of Crona’s back, flexing his small muscles. “Guess who’s back? Back again to wreak some havoc! Gupi!”   
  
Tears welled up in Crona’s eyes. Ragnarok, its partner, confidant, and friend, finally returned. “R-Ragnarok. You’re back!” Unable to keep a reign on its emotions, Crona reached up and pulled the inhuman Weapon into a hug.  
  
“Gah! Stop it!” Ragnarok squirmed in Crona’s embrace, trying to push away. “Ack! I don’t want your cooties! It’s not like I was thinking about you when I was gone!”  
  
Maka took a deep breath, lifting her head up, to expel all of the dark thoughts in her mind. She reopened her eyes, smirked, and held up a fist. “They did it.”  
  
Soul grinned, showing all of his sharp teeth. That was the Maka he knew. “Great to have you back, partner.”  
  
“Great to _be_ back.” Maka replied, sharing a high-five with the Evans.   
  
“Oh, and uh, sorry to burst some bubbles, but they didn’t do anything.” Ragnarok piped in, breaking free of Crona’s possessive hug. Maka and Soul looked at him in confusion, so he kept going. “Turns out something was inside to break everything free.”  
  
“You serious?” Soul questioned, furrowing his brow. “How’d that happen?”  
  
“You guess is as good as mine, Sharkboy.”  
  
Maka cupped her chin, pondering over the information. _“That’s strange. That isn’t like Medusa to leave notch in her plan like that… So, if that’s the case, what happened to Caius and Tsuji?”_ For a moment, a feeling of dread welled up in her chest. But with another deep breath, she got rid of it. _“No. Since Kilik and Ox headed there, they’ll survive. Which reminds me…”_ Maka looked at the door, her green eyes sharpening with rage. “Soul, transform now. We’ve a bigger fish, or rather a snake, to fry.”  
  
Soul grinned wildly, adjusting his headband. “You got it.” As he spoke, his body glowed blue, and he morphed into a scythe. Maka caught the weapon and span it several times, getting reacquainted with Soul’s weight and size.   
  
Ragnarok lightly tapped Crona’s noggin. “Hey, it’s time to suit up too. We got work to do, you understand? It’s like Albarn said, we got a snake to put down for good.”  
  
Crona understood Ragnarok wanted some payback; there was not an ounce of fear in his voice, just pure conviction like Maka. For good reason, yes – Medusa was a plague, a festering wound. She needed to be gone, but something different had to be done. Neither Professor Stein nor Maka could permanently kill her. They called it misfortune, but Crona thought it was perhaps fate.  
  
“Yes, Ragnarok, you’re right.” Crona replied in a drone. Ragnarok grinned excitedly, transforming into a sword. The last time Crona sounded like that was when they went hunting innocents. Only this time, they were hunting the guilty. _“She threatened my home, Ragnarok, and Maka, and she is threatening the world.”_  
  
As Maka and Crona burst into the room, the Sword Meister knew what had to be done.   
  
_“I must kill Medusa to protect the world.”_  
  
…  
  
Changing her arm into a lantern, Jacqueline took aim and shot fire at Medusa like a flamethrower. Sighing, the snake witch sent out so many vectors they tore through the fire cloud with ease. Jacqueline managed to dodge most of them and got cut on her legs and arms. Sharply sucking in air, the Demon Lantern fell to one knee. Kim lied behind her, having had long fell unconscious, her body riddled with lacerations.  
  
“Vector Plate.” A vector appeared under Jacqueline and shot the girl straight into her unconscious meister. “Now then, to leave something behind to give your friends pause.” Another flurry of Vector Arrows streamed toward the girls, Jacqueline quickly realizing there was no exit. The Demon Weapon threw herself over Kim, making a silent prayer.  
  
“ _Medusaaaaaaa_!”  
  
Swooping in with Witch Hunter at the ready, Maka skidded in front of Jackie and Kim. Taking in a deep breath to focus herself, the pigtailed girl started spinning around in one spot. The first wave of Vector Arrows were destroyed, but as Maka kept up her rotations, a cyclone of white surrounded her and collected the rest.   
  
“Kamaitachi!”   
  
All of the stored energy was unleashed in an omnidirectional wave, shaking the room with the force of an earthquake and breaking the stone like glass. Outside, a plume of smoke flowed from the head of the snake monolith. When the dust settled, natural light filled the room, Kamaitachi having blown the ceiling wide open. Maka used her scythe for support, seeing circles from spinning so fast. Behind her, Crona brought down the Black Blood barrier used to shield Jackie and Kim.   
  
Jacqueline looked up, shedding tears as she smiled thankfully. “It’s about time you guys got here.”    
  
“And we’re _real_ sorry it had to come to this,” Soul said, “That wasn’t cool, but we’re about to make it all up.”  
  
Over on the other side of the room, Medusa disengaged her own shield of vectors, her gold eyes glowing at the sight of Maka and Crona. “I don’t believe this. Eruka and the Mizune Sisters couldn’t do that one simple job?” Seeing as they failed, there was no longer reason to stay her opinion. “I give them something to do other than waste away their lives, and they still prove to be utter failures. Simply ridiculous.”  
  
Ragnarok chortled. “Well, let’s say I got acquainted with some scorpions inside that thing. Can’t put the blame on them.”   
  
Rage made way for confusion on Medusa’s face. “Scorpions?” Her brain instantly put the pieces together, and the rage returned full force. “Shaula…” The name was like acid to her, making it hard for Medusa to keep her composure. _“She couldn’t handle her own plans falling apart, so she had to mess with mine!”_  
  
“Medusa Gorgon.” Maka growled, spinning the scythe above her head before assuming a battle pose. “I hope you’re ready. Your soul is mine!”  
  
“Don’t try my patience like that outcast behind you, Albarn,” Medusa threatened. Reaching up to pull her hood over her head, the Gorgon weighed her odds. Her magic reserves had taken a hit, but since her spells took little power to cast, that didn’t matter. One eye was gone, and one of her more trusted familiars was severely burnt. Yet, she still had another eye and plenty of other snakes in her body. “Fine then. The hard way it is. I don’t have to worry about Stein or a Death Scythe, just two little children.”  
  
Maka slid one foot back, getting ready to break into a sprint, when Crona placed a hand on her shoulder. “Crona?”  
  
The pink-haired swordsman stepped out in front of the Scythe Meister, pointing Ragnarok at the snake witch. “Leave this to me, Maka.”  
  
“C-Crona?”  
  
“This is something I have to do,” Crona said, brow furrowed, eyes narrowed, no arm death-grip. “If I can’t face her by myself, we’ll never live peacefully. She may come back and do something even worse than today.”  
  
Throat growing day, Maka hesitated to comply. The last time Crona tried to fight Medusa alone, it ultimately ended up with impalement by a vector and near death. But, now, Crona seemed different – straight posture, no mumbling, head held high. Maka relaxed from her battle stance and smirked. “Get her, Crona. But if things get hairy, I’m stepping in.”  
  
Crona chuckled and smiled at her. “I know you will.” The swordsman then walked forward, now ready to face the woman who gifted it with life.  
  
Medusa stared on, lips tight with indifference. “What makes you think this will end any differently?”  
  
“I’m not like I was before,” Crona retorted, “And you don’t have any more tricks. It’s just you.”  
  
Medusa’s head throbbed a little, feeling a headache coming. Talking to this pain of a child would only worsen it. “And, you, Ragnarok? I gave you a purpose other than sitting at the corner of the Earth rotting away. Talk some sense into that deluded child of mine.”  
  
“How about you eat a—”  
  
“Vector Arrow.” Done talking, vectors exploded from Medusa’s back and darted at Crona. “As all parents say, I brought you into this world, I can take you out!”  
  
Crona gripped the sword’s hilt tighter and timed an upward swing. “Screech Beta!” A large mouth formed in the arc of sword’s movement. Vectors clashed with the impromptu barrier, hot sparks flashing on contact. This stopped the initial wave, but Crona saw more coming from the side.   
  
“Screech Alpha!” Swinging again, Crona launched mouth-shaped projectiles to knock them off-course. Once took its eyes off of her, Medusa quickly fired a few smaller but faster Vector Arrows, hitting Crona in its ribs. Driven into the ground, the adolescent winced, but Ragnarok had hardened the Black Blood to prevent penetration. Crona forced itself to keep its eyes on Medusa and mustered the strength to swing once more. “Sc-Screech Alpha!” A single monstrous projectile travelled the length of the vectors, heading to the source.   
  
“Vector Storm!” Vectors rose from under Medusa’s feet, spiraling around her like a twister. They blocked the Screech Alpha, but the resulting force sent her backwards. Medusa gritted her teeth, stabbing her Tail Snake into the floor to stop herself. _“Keh! So it wasn’t just spouting empty words.”_  
  
Standing up, Crona started running to Medusa, holding up the sword to its face. “Ragnarok, Screech Gramma!” With a resounding shriek, Ragnarok’s sword grew both in width and depth, adding a jagged mouth to the end.   
  
Medusa simply waited for her child to get close. “I know you hardened the Black Blood just then. That’s your modus operandi after all.” The woman formed a Vector Blade in her hand and blocked Crona’s first swing with a timely one of her own. Crona kept up the assault, bombarding Medusa’s Vector Blade with so many strikes it seemed as if numerous blades were being used at the same time.   
  
Medusa remained diligent, letting Crona blindly attack, and lured it into a false sense of security. “And just like before, I’ll desynch your connection with the Black Blood.” The Vector Blade flashed with pinkish electricity, but Crona saw it coming. With a downward swipe, Crona smashed the Vector Blade to pieces.   
  
A small gasp escaped the snake witch, taken by surprise by the showing of quickness and strength. _“What?!”_ Crona then thrust Screech Gramma into Medusa’s abdomen, the Gorgon gnashing her teeth as she felt the ‘mouth’ bite down hard onto her navel. Despite that, Medusa realized this put Crona in close proximity to her. “Don’t test me, you little brat!” She lifted her Tail Snake above her head as it sparked with wavelength energy.   
  
Crona’s eyes widened in shock, unable to do anything as Medusa shot it and Ragnarok. The pinkette staggered backwards as Screech Gramma disappeared, knees shaking and feeling a little woozy. “Vector Arrow!” Instinctually, Crona lifted its sword to block its face, vectors grazing its shoulders and arms. Sure enough, black blood oozed out of the fresh cuts.  
  
“Crona!” Maka, Soul, and Jackie shouted.   
  
“Aw damn it, not this again!” Ragnarok gulped audibly, knowing that a major wound spelled death for a twig like Crona. “Now what do we do?”  
  
Crona stabbed the sword into the ground, using it as a crutch to stay up. “We use…” The adolescent paused to pant. “Soul Resonance.”   
  
“You got it!”  
  
“Soul Resonance: Khmer Dragon!”  
  
Reddish-pink light engulfed Crona as the Demon Sword melted into pure black energy, beginning to take shape. Medusa narrowed her eyes, producing more vectors from behind her. “Oh no you don’t. Vector Arrow!” They drew closer and closer, but from the blackness, a single wing whipped out and batted them away. _“Tch. They completed it faster than I anticipated.”_  
  
The Khmer Dragon now atop Crona’s back stretched out its wings and roared. “How ya like me now?!” Ragnarok boasted, his now deep voice booming like thunder.  
  
Maka gaped at the size of the draconic entity. “R-Ragnarok?”   
  
Soul grinned, ready to enjoy the show. “Looks like something they cooked up when they partnered with Ox.”  
  
Reaching up to Ragnarok himself, Crona drew a black and white sword studded with spikes from the body of the beast. “Screech Theta!” Drawing a glowing purple circle, it released a pack of black and purple monstrous entities with jagged mouth.  
  
“Vector Plate!” Medusa summoned an arrow below her and several others in the air. The first one shot her out of the way, making Screech Theta miss and destroy what little of the wall remained. The others moved her in arc and placed her behind Crona. “Vector—”  
  
“Not happenin’!” With a single wingbeat, the Khmer Dragon produced a rush of wind that stopped Medusa dead in her tracks. Maka stabbed Soul into the ground to anchor herself, Jacqueline grabbing ahold of her coat for support. With that, Crona and Ragnarok ascended into the open air.  
  
“Thanks, Ragnarok.” Crona sighed in relief, watching as Medusa glared at them. The longer this fight went on, the more Crona realized they were set to win. Medusa was injured from a prior battle and from orchestrating her whole plot. Crona and Ragnarok, on the other hand, were well-rested. _“I just have to buy some time until we can harden the Black Blood again.”_  
  
Medusa sighed and rubbed her temples. Everything was falling apart, and her child’s persistence made it worse. As much as she wanted to run to fight another day, Crona evidently had the means to pursue her. And there were the other students scattered around the island as well. She came to the conclusion that Crona needed to die to ensure her own survival. _“Besides, those fools at the DWMA have soiled my once perfect experiment anyway.”_  
  
Kneeling down, Medusa placed one hand on the ground. “All right, I need you. Come on up.”  
  
A small vector wiggled out of the floor, and Medusa picked it up. The vector then swelled in size, morphing into a small, purple entity that floated over Medusa’s shoulder. Ragnarok grunted, finding something odd about it. “Yo, Crona. Doesn’t that thing look kinda like clown-looking freak back there?”  
  
“Y-Yeah, it does.”  
  
“Perceptive.” Medusa chuckled as her snake tattoos detached from her arms. “It’s called the ‘Purple Clown.’ A portable model I made while developing the Black Clown you two fought at the fourth game. It’s all part of my research.”  
  
Crona remembered what the shadow talked about and wanted her to finally explain things. “What are you planning to do with them? What’s this research about?”  
  
“Patience, Crona.” Medusa crooned as a sinister smile appeared on her face. She finally found some leverage against her child. “Madness Fusion.”   
  
The Portable Purple Clown dove into Medusa’s hand, travelling down her arms until it reached the base of her snake familiars. As the separate creatures fused, the skin of the snakes boiled, eventually forming a more angular design, almost like arrows. A few seconds later, Madness Fusion finished and four feral, serpentine beasts extended from Medusa’s arms.   
  
The transformed snakes hissed and snapped at the Khmer Dragon, seeing it as a meal instead of an opponent. “Attack,” Medusa ordered. The quartet of serpents raced to the airborne meister, jaws biting at the air. Ragnarok whipped around to hit one of them with his tail. Contact was made, but the snake coiled around the appendage. “Going down.” The snake slung Crona and the Khmer Dragon down and drove them into the floor.   
  
Keeping up the assault, the other three snakes surged toward the fallen duo. “Crona, keep your eyes peeled! They’re coming!” Ragnarok urged. He couldn’t do everything. Whimpering a little, Crona forced one eye open and waited for them to come. With all its might, the swordsman swung and decapitated one of the snakes, but the other rammed itself into Crona’s gut. “ _Crona_!” Ragnarok cried out, hearing the pinkette scream loudly as the jaws bit right into its ribs, little muscle there to stop the snake.   
  
“Even with your shiny new toy, you’re still weak,” Medusa taunted, pointing two fingers upwards. On cue, both snakes hoisted Crona and the Khmer Dragon into the air, only to slam them back down onto the ground, leaving them in a crater on impact. “It’s little wonder why I moved on from you. And after all that time and energy I spent evolving the Black Boood and conditioning you.”  
  
Heading throbbing, Crona groaned, still feeling the snake gnaw on its ribs to prolong the pain. Mustering up more willpower, Crona flipped the modified sword into a reverse grip and quickly severed the snake’s head. “W-Why?”   
  
“Yeah. Why?” Ragnarok echoed, beating his tail against the ground in an effort to release the serpent’s hold. “And what’s with this ‘Madness Fusion’ stuff?”  
  
Medusa yanked back her two remaining snakes, wanting to keep them alive. “Fine then. If you must know, these Clowns, Madness Fusion, are all by-products in my research into the Black Blood. I want to develop a way to manipulate Madness itself.”  
  
Maka could no longer keep herself quiet. A scoff drew Medusa’s attention to her. “Get real. Only Kishins can do that.”  
  
Medusa grinned. “Why, you’re absolutely right. It just so happens we have a Kishin somewhere out there now, do we?” Seeing Crona draw an energy circle, Medusa was glad she kept some of her focus on the Meister. She used Vector Plate to evade Screech Theta, subsequently sending out her powered-up familiars. “As I’ve learned, it’s far too difficult and time-consuming to make a Kishin from scratch. It’s better to use what’s already out there.”  
  
Rather than taking them head-on, the Khmer Dragon flew around in the air to avoid the snakes as Crona tried to figure out the best way to kill them. Seeing as they were preoccupied, Maka kept asking, “What’s your point? Stop being cryptic already!”  
  
“Are you children literally incapable of deducing things?!” Medusa questioned, though her ire came from Crona not staying still. “The Black Blood is a tool to fuse and resonate with the Kishin via Madness, whether it be myself or someone I have a tight leash around. That’s whole reason I revived the Kishin in the first place.”  
  
“You’re insane!” Maka shouted, tightening her grip around her scythe, trying to resist the growing desire to run over and hack her head off. “Why would anyone in the right mind want to fuse with a Kishin?! To control Madness?!”   
  
Noticing one of the snakes charging forward, the Khmer Dragon roared and challengingly dove right at it. Crona raised its sword above-head and, when close enough, cleaved it down the middle. _“Got her in our sights!”_ Ragnarok thought excitedly, flying towards Medusa. The other snake was too far behind to catch up. But then, the Khmer Dragon stopped. Looking down, Crona saw a Vector Plate pointing in the opposite direction. “Goddamn it!” Ragnarok screeched as he and Crona flew backwards.  
  
“Those who control Madness control the world.” The final serpent lashed out and took ahold of one of the dragon’s wings. In one bite, it snapped the wing and threw them to the ground. “That cannot happen with the DWMA around.”   
  
Before the snake could slither back to its master, Maka rushed over and sliced its head off. The Scythe Meister pivoted around to face Medusa, who seethed in anger. “Sorry, guys,” Soul spoke up, “but it looks like you need some help.”   
  
“N-Not really,” Ragnarok replied with a weak groan. The Khmer Dragon disappeared, resulting in the Demon Sword going back to normal. “We can harden the Black Blood again.” He paused to gather his breath, the pain of a dislocated shoulder choking him. “A-And we got one more trump card, don’t we, Crona?”  
  
Medusa knew he was referring to Bloody Knight. If they still had the energy to conduct that Soul Resonance, she was in trouble. _“But I know how to break Crona once and for all.”_ She waited until Crona rose to its feet with a little help from Maka. “You know, ever since you were born, it has amazed me how quickly you developed sentimental emotion.”  
  
Soul glared at the witch. “Now what are you babbling about, Medusa?”   
  
“You latched onto me like a child should with their parent, you latched onto Ragnarok as if he were an older sibling, and now with the DWMA brats. Despite all the training we did, all the things you killed, you still reached out to people.” Medusa shrugged her shoulders. “Then again, you had more time than most newborns.”  
  
Crona blinked. “W-What does that mean?”  
  
Medusa palmed her cheek, closing her eyes as she sighed. “Oh dear Crona, did you think I’d waste nine months of my life waiting for you to arrive? For me, genetic engineering takes only a day or two.”  
  
“W-What?”  
  
“Oh, must I spell it out?” Medusa hissed. “I took my genes and your father’s and _made_ you from scratch.”  
  
Maka’s eyes shrunk. The implications came down on her like a tidal wave. Little wonder why Medusa treated Crona like a thing. To her, Crona _was_ a thing. Slowly, the ashy blonde looked over to her friend, who sported the same shocked expression as her. Crona’s body trembled, mind running around in circles trying to process what Medusa said.  
  
“You’re not an actual human like those you surround yourself with. You’ll never be the same as them. That’s why you shouldn’t be at the DWMA. None of them can truly understand you like I do. I know what you truly are and can give you a proper purpose.”   
  
Crona stumbled, the weight of revelation crushing it like a steamroller. Eventually, the pinkette fell to its knees, Ragnarok slipping out of its grip and clattering against the floor. Crona whimpered, shook, and cried. An artificial human, a creature lesser than everyone around it. Crona felt itself, mentally and physically, failing, strength running away like water down a drain, unable to cope with the news.   
  
“SHUT UP!”  
  
With a roar, Maka charged at Medusa and swung her scythe. Gritting her teeth, the snake witch summoned a Vector Blade and parried her. A fire brewing in Maka’s eyes like none other, she dug her feet in the ground and applied pressure, the witch holding her own.   
  
“So what if Crona is artificial?! Crona’s still our friend! _My friend_! Crona lives, breathes, cries, and laughs like just like the rest of us! Crona is still a person! All you do is treat Crona like an experiment meant to serve your selfish needs! In fact, everyone is your pawn! But _we_ don’t. We see the person beyond all that.”  
  
While she was pushing Medusa back, Maka wasn’t getting past her Vector Blade. So, she started batting away at it. “And you know something? Crona’s right. As long as you live, we can’t move on with life!” And I am _sick_ and _tired_ ,” she punctuated her words with hard slams of her weapon, “ _of seeing your damn face_!”   
  
Fueled by anger, Maka swung once more with all her might, this time shattering the Vector Blade. When she tried to follow up with another, Medusa used Vector Plate to remove herself from harm’s way. At this point, Soul thought she vented enough. “Okay, Maka, I know you’re mad and all, but let’s not do something stupid. This is still Medusa.”  
  
Maka took a calming deep breath, heeding Soul’s words. “Yeah, you’re right, Soul.” Since Crona appeared to have shut down, finishing the fight was her responsibility. One Majin Hunter ought to end this once and for all.   
  
Meanwhile, Ragnarok returned to normal and fisted Crona’s hair. “Come on, Crona, get your head in the game! We’ve come too far to stop here!”   
  
The swordsman was unresponsive, a blank and vacant look in its eyes. Ragnarok growled and pulled Crona’s head back so they were eye-to-eye.   
  
“Alright, Crona, you listen to me, and you listen to me good. Get up. On your feet. After all that stuff we talked about, don’t turn into a hypocrite. I ain’t scared no more, I’m ready for this! You shouldn’t be either. I’m with you! Albarn’s with you! Hell, if everyone else was here, I’m sure they’d have pom-poms at the ready too! So what if you’re not completely human? I’m not either! You gotta learn not to take everyone’s crap at face value. It’s like what Albarn is saying – you’re you! Can’t anybody change that!”   
  
The look vanished, and Ragnarok felt triumphant. “R-Ragnarok…” Crona simpered. Swallowing the lump in its throat, Crona nodded and Ragnarok released his hold. He transformed into a sword that Crona took as it stood up. Taking a deep breath, Crona’s pale blue eyes steeled with determination. “Soul Resonance: Bloody Knight.”   
  
Concentrating on just each other, Maka and Medusa advanced to one another, a scythe ready to meet vectors. Before anything made contact, a blur appeared between them, the vectors fragmented, and blood spurted from the laceration on Medusa’s chest.   
  
Medusa’s eyes shrunk, watching as her blood stained the floor and her severed braid. “W-what?! How did—!?”  
  
“She’s making too much noise.” Behind her was Crona, clad in black, white, and gold armor and now brandishing three swords. The pinkette lazily lolled its head, staring at Medusa over its shoulder with dull, emotionless eyes. “Ragnarok, how do I get rid of the noise?”  
  
“You kill her.”  
  
Maka wisely decided to step back.   
  
Medusa clasped her hands and raised them above her head. “Vector—” In the middle of her call, Crona whipped around and Ragnarok swung one of the swords, sending a streamlined Screech Alpha. The projectile opened its mouth and ripped off one of Medusa’s legs as it passed through. _“T-Too fast.”_ Stabbing her Tail Snake into the ground to keep her balance, her body went into shock to prevent the flow of pain.  
  
“This is for abusing me. For reviving the Kishin.” Crona moved again, all three swords swinging in unison, but Medusa flipped over them. During the motions, she rained down vectors, something Ragnarok alerted Crona to. “Screech Delta.” All three swords moving, a twister of black soundwaves surrounded Crona.  
  
By the time Medusa landed back on her Tail Snake, Screech Delta destroyed all of the vectors and Crona locked on to her. “For all the lies you’ve told and lives you’ve ruined.” The thin sword was thrown, tearing the Tail Snake right off. A scream actually escaped Medusa as she fell on her back, blood rapidly pooling beneath her.   
  
“For Maka, Ragnarok, and me.” The jagged one was next, lodging itself right where her cold, black heart was. Medusa choked her own blood. Her mind grew clouded and her vision hazed. Her body, pinned to the floor, writhed in a spasm of pain.   
  
Yet, as Crona stood above her, she saw the cold-blooded killer she deliberately engineered it to be. The resemblance to herself was uncanny. _“I miscalculated.”_   
  
Raising the greatsword, the Demon Swordsman quietly uttered, “My blood is black, you know?”  
  
One swing finally ended it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Allow me to clarify: Medusa’s dead. She’s through. As in, not coming back anymore.
> 
> Mizune and Eruka are alive. At first, I was unsure what to do with them. Making them prisoners of the Academy seemed too cruel for people who are just victims of circumstances. So, I decided to let them go. 
> 
> I apologize if I disappointed people with the Free fight (or lack thereof). It wasn’t meant to be in the spotlight.
> 
> This is the penultimate chapter of the Cobra Island Arc, but I’ll say this now: I know I introduced many terms and stuff in this arc – What are Warlocks? What exactly is Reanimation Magic? What were the shadows talking about? And then there’s the overarching stuff – What is Project Omega? What are the Anria? And what the heck are they doing with Gilgamesh?
> 
> This is a pretty long story, so stay with me and all questions will be answered in due time.


	35. Reborn: A New Lease on Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The nightmare is finally over, and Crona is ready to move on with life. But for every problem solved, there is a new one right around the corner. End of the Cobra Island Arc.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.

  
**Reborn: A New Lease on Life**

A Witch stumbled on the rust-colored shag rug, a hand shooting up to the corridor’s wall to catch her balance. It was a shame to have to be rid of the body she was born with, but she valued her life more than anything. It would take some time to get used to her new host. She heard people running and saw the guard dog-themed foot soldiers of the Witch Society coming to check on her.

_“So they got my message. I’m sure they were expecting me.”_ In case they thought otherwise, the witch lifted her hood to reveal her distinct, pink and blue irises. Confirming her identity, the guards nodded to each other, one of them moving ahead to the large, golden doors ahead.  

Seconds later, the guard returned. “The Witch Council will see you, Shaula Gorgon.”

Hating to appear weak in front of her superiors, Shaula sucked it up and walked herself into the room. The room was rather dim, but every chair was occupied in the spacious office. The guards closed the door behind Shaula as she walked to the middle and bowed. “I’ve come to report my progress.”

Behind the desk, a woman took a long dreg of her pipe before speaking. “Then speak.”

“Yes, Ms. Foxworth.” Shaula cleared her throat. “Unfortunately, my Traitors failed to do lasting damage to the North American base in Death City despite circumventing the city’s improved defenses. And we lost Meme Tatane.”

She was interrupted by a few of councilmembers releasing a disappointed ‘Awww’ while one muttered a lazy ‘Bummer.’ They were silenced by Foxworth slamming her pipe on her desk like a gavel. “Continue.”

Detecting the impatience in her voice, Shaula decided to get to the point. “However, I can say with certainty my older sister, Medusa Gorgon, is officially out of the picture. Also, Meme Tatane did retrieve some dirt on the DWMA.”

Foxworth smirked and leaned back in her seat, chuckling. “Nice work, Shaula. We finally got rid of that snake. I’d knew you’d be able to handle the job.” The woman then frowned as a snarl escaped past her lips. “Though, if it were up to me, I’d kill her a million times over, the same as the number of death sentences she’d have if she were in front of me!”

“Good luck with that,” the same lazy voice from before mumbled, prompting a few giggles from the other councilmembers. Foxworth shot a glare at her, and even though she sat in one of the darker spots of the room, the Witch Judge was sure she waved it off.

“Well, regardless.” Foxworth redirected her attention to the youngest Gorgon. “You did excellently, Shaula, all things considered. Go get some rest; you deserve it. We’ll figure things out from here.”

“Yes, ma’am.” With another slight bow of respect to the Witches in charge, Shaula slowly left the room. A sneer tugged at her lips, her eyes glowing in the dim hallway. _“I’m not through with the Academy by a long shot. And, Arachne, you’re_ next _.”_

* * *

“ _Yahoooooo_!”

Blackstar launched himself at Free, one hand holding an Execution☆Star-modified Chain of Blackness and the other crackling with light. Free responded by swiping his claws, but Blackstar leapt back, landed in a crouch, and slowly straightened. He and Free circled each other. Blackstar was focused, alert, and shockingly quiet save for the occasional battle cry. The werewolf has a high-caliber opponent that required him to pull out his best moves to achieve victory.

And that was just the way he liked it.

“Ice Spindle!” A spike of ice jutted from the ground near Blackstar, grazing him. The Star Clan boy strafed, wiping away the blood with his thumb. In one stroke, a black lunette projectile whizzed through the air. “Wolf Tail Wall!” Free moved his tail to the front as it puffed up in size, easily blocking the attack.

“Gotcha now!” Blackstar skidded behind Free after a burst of speed. Realization dawned on Free’s face; he fell for the distraction. One hand filled with the blazing energy of his soul, Blackstar drove his palm into the base of Free’s spine. “Soul Force!” This one made Free lurch over, unable to retaliate, and Blackstar kept up the pressure. The revolver-like guard spinning, shadows enveloped the blade as he delivered a slash, leaving a notch in the immortal’s shoulder as blood flew out.

Blackstar looked over his shoulder at Kid and Rowena and yelled out, “Kid, blast him right after this! Rowena, get ready to send him flying!”

“Understood!” Kid sucked in air and crouched down, readying the cannons. Rowena blinked several times and pointed to herself. Seeing that, Kid casted a dry look to her. “Yes, he understands the value of teamwork too, Rowena. He used to be significantly worse.”

Blackstar circled around Free so that he was in front, free hand brimming with soul energy. “Soul Force...” He then got seconds thoughts and scoffed when he made a final decision. “Nay!” The electricity condensed into a ball of light and the ninja drove it right into Free’s prone gut. “ _World Destruction Cannon_!”

Dust kicked up in a stream behind Free as the soul energy hit him directly, the werewolf howling in pain as he became airborne. _“There’s the signal!”_ Kid narrowed his eyes, using his scope to target Free. “Fire!” The black and blue bolas exploded from the cannons, striking Free and sending him higher, right where the open space was.

“Blackstar, quickly!” Tsubaki cued. Nodding, Blackstar deliberately broke the Joint Resonance. Tsubaki then spawned tendrils from Blackstar’s shadow and grabbed Rowena, throwing the girl at the helpless immortal. “Now!”

Bracing herself against the wind, Rowena readied her weapon. “Nayumi, Meteor Hammer!”

“Right!”

The energy from their resonance became so intense that the hammerhead burst into flames. Roaring with effort as she swung, a burst of fire punctuated the attack on Free. Leaving behind a trail of smoke, the werewolf flew towards the horizon, howl growing softer and softer.

“I got you, Rowena.” Tsubaki used her shadow tendrils to form a net to catch the Sledgehammer Meister.

Blackstar straightened up and grinned proudly, giving Kid and Rowena a thumbs-up. “See? You guys didn’t have to do anything but that.”

...

Eruka and the Mizune Family resurfaced, the sounds of the waterfall’s distant roar greeting them. Tadpole Jackson carried the sisters, groaning as he let himself drift along. Once she caught her breath, Eruka looked at the Mizunes, all of them green in the face from seasickness.

Eruka felt responsible for their involvement with Medusa. After all, she told them a lie in order to get their cooperation. Sure, she had no choice, but she still wrought the consequences. Not a day went by without guilt eating at the frog witch, but all of her options led to a bad scenario. If she told the truth, the Mizunes would assuredly go after Medusa and probably get themselves killed. Then, Medusa might turn to her for disobedience. If she kept quiet, the Mizunes might eventually be killed by DWMA officers.

Either way, her friendship with the Mizune Family would be hurt. Eruka did not want that. As long as Medusa was alive, a broken guillotine would forever hang over her head – always there to remind her of her sins but never granting her the chance of absolution.

The silence was finally interrupted by a loud growl of Eruka’s stomach. A knot formed and, as soon as she cradled her gut, it travelled up to her mouth with the speed of a bullet. With a heave, the vector snake Medusa planted in Eruka long ago came out. It was a dried husk, aged from time and its master “dying” twice. The vector dissolved, disappearing into the water.

“I-It’s gone?” Eruka let out a weak croak, both disgusted by the sight and confused why it happened. When Medusa supposedly died during the Kishin’s revival and then at the first Baba Yaga Castle invasion, nothing of the sort happened. So what made today different?

As soon as she made eye contact with Cobra Island, it hit her like a ton of bricks. “They really killed her.”

The Mizunes released a tired ‘chi’ in unison, too sick to care about the announcement. The one thing that kept Eruka from telling the truth was gone. The only thing she feared was the consequences. Steeling her nerves, Eruka spoke, “H-Hey? Mizune? There’s—”

“ _Look out belooooooow_!”

The silhouette of a large man casted over Eruka, the Mizunes, and Tadpole Jackson. Looking up, they saw Free falling towards them. Tadpole Jackson immediately swam to safety while a blank look appeared on Eruka’s face, leaving her to be the landing pad.

“I hate everything.”

* * *

The Witch Soul fit perfectly in the palm of Crona’s hand. The vectors around it wiggled restlessly, lost and masterless. Crona stared into it, unable to see anything within the purple depths. Ragnarok emerged from Crona’s back, poking his meister to get attention. “How long are you going to stare at it? Ain’t nothing pretty about her, even her soul.”

“It’s not that, Ragnarok. It’s just...” Around his time, Crona noticed the blood-colored sky beginning to fade. Streaks of orange and yellow replaced the red. Soon enough, the sun returned, a symbol of comfort and victory to those who weathered the storm. Closing its eyes, Crona took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the past finally leave its shoulders. “We’re free.”

Sprinting over, Maka threw herself into Crona and captured the Sword Meister into a tight hug. “Crona, I’m so proud of you! You did it!” She gushed, a bright smile stuck on her face.  

“Great job,” Soul complimented, grinning as he walked over. He took the liberty of carrying the still unconscious Kim. “Now you got yourself a Witch Soul. If you round up 99 Kishin Egg or Evil Souls, Ragnarok’ll be a Death Scythe.”

“Sounds like a load of unwanted headaches.” Ragnarok looked at the broken entrance and something came to mind. “Uh, shouldn’t we check on the others and make sure they didn’t die?”

Maka tore herself away from Crona. “Yeah, you’re right. We need to tell them our mission is done.”

Maka, Crona, Soul, and Jacqueline returned to the rest area. When they got there, they saw Blackstar, Tsubaki, Kid, the Thompsons, Rowena, and Nayumi safe and sound. Then, a whistle sounded in the back. It was Kilik signaling their arrival. He himself carried an unconscious Krysa, Ox and Harvar both supported Caius, while Tsuji, Marcellus, and Claudia walked on their own.

Seeing everyone alive made Soul’s grin widen. “See, Ragnarok? Nothing to worry about at all.”

“Except the gray hairs I might have from stress.” Claudia deadpanned.

Ox noticed Kim, riddled with cuts and knocked out, on Soul’s back and couldn’t stop himself from blurting out, “W-What happened to her?! What did Medusa do—”

“Slow your roll there, Ox Ford,” Soul interjected, shaking his head. The casualness in his voice made Ox slump in relief. “She’s fine. She’s taking a much-needed nap.” Soul then put his attention on Krysa. “So what about her?”

“She’s in a coma,” Kilik answered, “We found her like this on our way up here. Well, minus the dead, decaying snake coming out of her mouth.”

Liz’s stomach twisted into a knot, the mental image invading her mind. “Gross.”

Thunder looked up the unconscious Krysa in Kilik’s arms and titled her head. Now that she got a closer look at her face, there was something about her that Thunder found familiar. Unable to put her finger on it, the blond tugged at her brother’s sleeve and whispered, “Fire, doesn’t it feel like we’ve seen the pretty lady before?”

“Hmm.” Fire squinted his eyes to get a good look at her, cupping his chin. Eventually, he shrugged his shoulders. “I got nothing.”

“Of course you don’t.”

Kid adjusted his suit and tie and brushed his hair down, trying to make himself look presentable. “I’d better contact my father. Please wait patiently, everyone.” He excused himself to another part of the area.

At this point, Rowena took note of something softly glowing in his Crona’s hand. She looked more closely, and her eyebrows rose at the sight of the Witch Soul. “Yo, Crona, is that a...?”

“Dude! It’s a Witch Soul!” Blackstar shouted, running up to Crona and grabbing its hand to examine it. He flashed the pinkette a knowing grin. “Heh. So you did it. Not bad, kid, not bad at all.”

“Good riddance,” Caius muttered, a frown firmly entrenched on his face. He closed his eyes, wanting to rest them; the lack of visual aid was beginning to hurt them. “Now if only I could get back at that other Witch for breaking my glasses.”

Not wanting the happy atmosphere to be tainted, Tsubaki offered the Vladingham a smile. “If it makes you feel better, Caius, you look better without them.”

Leaving Caius to Harvar, Ox approached Crona as well, giving his newest friend a smile of his own. “Well, I’m happy for you, Crona. I wish I was there to see it.” He could see the difference – Crona stood up straight, proudly, and no death grip on the arm. Quite a transformation between now and the Innsmouth mission. “But since that’s all over with, I recommend you changing your surname.”

“That’s a great idea, Ox!” Maka piped in. For Crona to truly move on, all connections to Medusa needed to be severed. Everyone else was up to Crona. She placed a finger to her chin as she looked up, as if the ceiling would give her inspiration.  “How about...” Shifting her focus to foreign languages, the lightbulb went off in her head. “Makenshi! It roughly means ‘magical swordsman’ in Japanese.”

Blackstar, Liz, Claudia, Soul, Rowena, and Ragnarok all stared blankly at her.  “How original.”

Crona blushed darkly, nervously playing with its fingers, and gave Maka a sheepish smile. “W-Well, since you came up with it, Maka, I’ll take it. I don’t mind.”

Nayumi shrugged her shoulders. “At least it sounds pretty. ‘Gorgon’ just makes you want to vomit after you say it.” To make her point, she stuck her tongue out and gagged, earning giggles from Patty and the Pot Twins.

“Hey, hey!” Ragnarok barked out, waving one of his stubby arms to get everyone’s, particularly Maka’s, attention, “You know what you can do to help us? Get us out of those dang shacks in the school. I want a real room!”

Maka beat every single person to the punch. “You can move in with us, Crona!” She then considered the state of her and Soul’s apartment and then pointed at her partner. “Okay, Soul, as soon as we get home, you and I need to clean our junk out of the guest room. No questions asked.”

Soul hated it when Maka got like this; she was as bossy as she was stubborn. “Hold on a sec, Maka—”

“I said no questions asked!”

Everyone burst out laughing, watching the two squabble like an old married couple. A brief but sharp whistle silenced them. Kid was beckoning them over. Jacqueline, Harvar, and Kilik gently put Kim, Caius, and Krysa down on the ground before they joined the others. A magical skull circle was on the ground, and in a flash of purple, a pillar of light rose from it.

A hologram of Lord Death appeared, giving a wave. “Hello, hello, how’s the—” One look at everyone, and Lord Death dropped his hand, the eyeholes in his mask growing in size. “W-W-What _happened_ , Kid?! You all look terrible!”

“Long story, Father.” Kid explained everything that happened on Cobra Island, his friends speaking up whenever necessary. In turn, Lord Death told them about the attack on Death City while they were gone. “—So, it appears Medusa and Shaula Gorgon were in league.”

“I’m terribly sorry, you guys.” Lord Death bowed his head, sad-faced. “I’ll send over help right away. So, sit tight and keep each other healthy, ok?”  
  
“Yes, sir.”

The call abruptly ended. No peace sign, no ‘take care’ or anything. It was clear Lord Death was disappointed in himself for letting Shaula attack their home and Medusa trick them all.

Aware of that, Maka spoke up, “I’m going to say this right now, gang,” She looked at everyone dead in their eyes, wanting them to realize how serious she was, “We got _lucky_. You guys don’t realize how lucky we are to be alive. Now, I’m no foreseer, but I don’t think things are going to get any easier. We need to step up our game. Who knows who else has a target on our backs?”

An image of Cancer and that creature from Venice flashed in her mind.

“You got that right, Maka.” Blackstar crossed his arms, scowling. “Soon as we get home, I’m gonna train so hard, no curse’ll ever affect me.”

Claudia sighed, shaking her head. “That would require mental conditioning, and I do believe you lack in that capacity.” He shot her a glare but nevertheless said nothing; he’d let his actions do the talking.

“If I may say something?” All eyes fell on Marcellus, and he nodded his head in the direction of the sun. “You guys are aware of how long it took us to get here, right? It’s no different for the adults.” The sun hung low in the sky, laughter reduced to drowsy groaning, drooling from one corner of its mouth. Nighttime approached.

Marcellus crouched down until he sat on the floor and then laid out, putting his arms behind his head. He was all too eager to get some sleep. “Might as well get comfy. Looks like we’re spending the night here.”

* * *

_Month 2, Week 2, Day 4 (Thursday, February 12th)_

Before the crack of dawn, the group made it to the harbor and awaited their rescue. Soon, the distant sounds of a helicopter broke the silence. Jacqueline turned her arm into a lantern and shot fire into the air, acting as a signal to let them know where they were. Eventually, the DWMA-edition helicopter landed near the students.

“ _Makaaaaaaaa_!” Spirit sprinted out of the copter like a cheetah pursuing prey, capturing his daughter in a tight embrace. Maka tried to push him away, but Spirit held her prisoner in a bone-crushing grip. “Sweetie, I’m so sorry all that happened to you! Don’t worry, Daddy’s here now!” Rivers of tears and snot poured down his face as his comforting words devolved into unintelligible gibberish.

“ _Cronaaaaaaa_!” An equally hysteric Marie rushed over to Crona and pulled the swordsman into a hug, stroking the child’s tousled hair. “Shh, shh, it’s okay, dear, I’m here to punch away all the bad demons.”

Ragnarok’s head poked out of Crona’s back, staring expressionlessly at the woman. “You’re a little late for that.”

“ _Claudiaaaaaa_!” Diane tackled Claudia hard, embracing her tighter than the other two and crushing the smaller female under her own weight. The woman didn’t even care her favorite blouse and pants were getting sandy. “Oh, my sweet little princess, my darling, my pride and joy, please me tell you’re all right! I hope a hair isn’t out of place!”

“No, but she _is_ turning the same shade of blue as my suit from a lack of oxygen.” Claude shook his head, but he couldn’t help but smile, glad everyone was safe. “Please, honey, I’m sure Roger and Francis want to see her too before they have to fly us back home.”

Sid walked over to Blackstar, examining every inch of him – his posture, his condition, everything – to make sure he wasn’t going to tell a lie. “Everything good and well, Blackstar?”

“You got nothing to worry about, zombie dude.” Blackstar folded his arms behind his head and flashed a grin. Sid couldn’t help but reciprocate it. “We took care of business.”

“Mr. Ricardseeeen!” Nayumi jumped up and clung to Noel’s arm when he approached her, Marcellus, and his twins. She looked up to him with a bright smile, her eyes shimmering even in the darkness, a stark contrast to his stoicism. “Hi. Did you miss us? Did you miss us?!”  

Noel ruffled Nayumi’s hair with his free hand. “No.”

The less time spent on this island the better, Nygus figured. Lord Death already told them his intentions of quarantining the island. “All right, everyone! I have my equipment and a few helpers on-board. Let’s get you guys properly treated. Everyone else, let’s prepare for departure!”

Maka hurried to the helicopter, trying to get away from her franticly sobbing father, Soul laughing at her misfortune. Diana carried her daughter bridal style while Claude and Caius talked about getting him contact lenses for combat to replace his glasses. Soon, everyone but Noel and Tsuji entered the helicopter, the blades spinning faster and faster.

Noel looked at the archer over his shoulder, noticing he was slow to board. “I know you don’t want to stay here.”

“Nope. Sure don’t.” Tsuji chuckled, forcing himself to smile at his dad before he rushed past him.

The effect was lost on Noel. _“Thanks a bunch, Medusa. You gave my son PTSD.”_

* * *

_Month 2, Week 3, Day 5 (Friday, February 20th)_

Days passed since everyone left behind Cobra Island. Once they settled back at home, Maka and the others were checked on by Stein and Nygus to make sure the Ouroboros curse was completely gone. Krysa’s homeland was found, and she was promptly escorted back to her village and family in Africa. In the meantime, even though they still went to class, Lord Death told them to relax and recover for several days.

...

Caius burst into the library. No other students were around, but he did catch the attention of Kathi, who jerked awake. Readjusting her glasses and straightening up her shirt, she watched Caius approach her desk. “O-Oh, um, good afternoon, Mr. Vladingham. I did not expect anyone to come during this time.”

“I came because I knew you’d be here, Ms. Rumeri,” Caius replied. He leaned against the counter, his eyes boring into her own, “Listen, are there any textbooks, studies, or whatever that talks about Soul Blaze? I want to check out everything or maybe even buy them.”

Kathi pushed her rolling seat back to create distance from Caius’s prying gaze. “Well, this is strange, Mr. Vladingham. I’d figure you know all about your family’s trademark. I’m quite frankly disappointed.”

Caius slumped against the countertop. “You’d think that, yeah.” His lack of knowledge was all his fault. He was a “late bloomer,” only deciding to join the DWMA a day before the massacre, and what he knew about Soul Blaze was from observation and deductive reasoning. He straightened up. “But it’s time I learned. There’s too many questions that I want answers to.”

Kathi smiled and stood out of her seat. “Wait here right then.” She walked into the back where all of the books for higher-leveled personnel were. Knowing exactly where to go, she got a blue book, returned her desk, and handed it over to Caius. “There you are. _For the Blue Flame: A Comprehensive Look into Soul Blaze_ by Katrina Vladingham.”

As soon as he heard the name, Caius fumbled with the book, dropped it to the ground, but immediately picked it up. He then checked the front and back cover and saw his aunt’s distinct signature in overly elaborate cursive. “I can’t believe she actually finished it! What’s it doing here?”

“It was published posthumously,” Kathi said with a smile, “And where else would it go? I’m just surprised you never considered asking for it earlier.”

“Well, for starters, I never thought I’d need it,” Caius mumbled, fingering through random pages, “Secondly, didn’t even know it was _here_. Yeah, this’ll do nicely. Aunt Katrina was ‘The Greatest Vladingham’ because Soul Blaze was like child’s play to her.” With an excited smile, he looked at the librarian. “So how much for it?”

Kathi dismissively waved her hand. “No charge. As the so-called “Last Vladingham,” you’re literally the only person who actually needs it, so keep it.” Turning in her seat to shut off her computer, she kept talking, “Just read it extensively and don’t give in. Stay di—”

When Kathi turned back around, Caius was already gone, and a 100-dollar bill was on the counter.

* * *

Caius slowly closed the door to the library, making no noise. “Sorry, Ms. Rumeri, it’s still property of the DWMA.” He then took off his book bag and put his aunt’s book in it, intending to read it when he got home. Just then, he saw a flash of orange hair down the hall. Curious, he followed and eventually caught up to Rowena. “Fancy meeting you here.”

Slinging her blazer over her shoulder, the Sledgehammer Meister turned to greet Caius with a wave of her hand. “Hey, Caius. What’s up?”

“I was just about to ask you the same thing.”

“I’m about to go meet with Maka for some help,” Rowena replied, cocking her hip. “Gotta keep my body in good shape, you know? To crack some skulls!”

“I understand.” Caius glanced at the muscles in her arms and small showing of abs on her midriff. Nothing radical like the feminist caricatures he read in certain stories. He thought she was a mix of cute and strong. “Speaking of Maka, can you give this to her?” He removed Albert Cornwall’s _Illusions of the Mind_ from his book bag. “It’s hers.”

“Can do.” Rowena accepted it. “Isn’t it a bit late to do last-minute reading at the library?”

“I was getting something to help improve my Soul Blaze. I refuse to be helpless.” His performance against Mizune and his shadow was appalling. That needed to be rectified. He smiled at Rowena’s approving grin. “Well good luck with your agenda. Just don’t overdo it. Lord Death told us to take it easy after what happened on Cobra Island.”

“Don’t worry, I got that.” Rowena stretched her back until it popped. She released a content sigh. “A lady needs her beauty sleep as they say.”

Caius blinked, giving the girl a quick once-over. “U-uh.”

Rowena titled her head, noticing the Vladingham had frozen up. “You okay?”

Clearing his thoughts, the blunette tried to gather his thoughts, but his mouth moved on its own. “Uh, well. It’s just... I never pegged you, of all people, for the type to care about beauty and such.”

Rowena crossed her arms. “What are you trying to say?”

Thinking he offended her, Caius held up his hands and offered an apologetic smile. “Uh, I mean- It’s not like that! I mean, uh—”

Pinching herself to stop a fit of laughter, Rowena figured she’d calm him down. “Man. I get that you ain’t had the best of lives, but jeez, your people skills...”

Caius narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. “My social skills are fine! On both a professional and a casual level.” He turned his head, like how Claudia would, as he inwardly admitted how much better they were pre-massacre. “But, if it satisfies you, I used to be better than this. You know, back when I had all my friends and family. Life was great. So I apologize if this bothers you.”

Rowena folded her arms behind her head, stretching again. “Hey, it is what it is, right? Some recoveries are just slow like that.”

“I’m glad you understand.” Caius nodded and then cupped his chin, examining the redhead. “Now, help me understand something. Why is it so hard to envision you needing beauty sleep?”

No response.

The bespectacled teen noticed Rowena simply standing there staring at him. A lump filled his throat, and he forced it down. “Oh, that did not come out right.” Berating himself, he prepared for Rowena to deck him in the face or throw him into the wall.

Instead, a titter rippled across the otherwise silent hallway. Lurching over, great booming laughter rolled from Rowena’s mouth. “M-My, my s-sides!” She craned head to look at Caius, speaking as best she could. “D-Dude, you GOT to start working on that! J-Just be, just be glad I’m not that type of girl!” She keeled over, rolling on the ground while kicking her legs, unable to stop laughing.

Caius rolled his eyes, masking his embarrassment. “Yeah, yeah. I’m leaving. I have an eye appointment to get contacts.” He walked past her, face turning red like a tomato once no one could see. _“Smooth work, Caius.”_

* * *

In the dance studio, Maka and Soul waited at the bench nearest to the exit. Soul sat on the floor against it, eyes threatening to close from boredom, while Maka patiently read a book, legs crossed at the ankles.

“They’re late,” Soul remarked, “We still need to help Crona move in with us.”

“Let’s give them five more minutes, Soul.” Maka said, flipping a page.

Soon, rapid footsteps echoed into the dance studio. Nayumi and Rowena burst into the room. “S-Sorry!” They said at the same time, taking in air, as Rowena put on her blazer like normal.

Soul rose from the floor. “It’s about time.”

“Our fault. We got caught up in some stuff,” Rowena informed. Nayumi transformed into a sledgehammer, and she grabbed it. “So, Maka, gonna show me how you do that Color Flag Guard spinning stuff?”

“You mean my scythe-spinning technique?”

“Yeah, that.” The redhead shrugged her shoulders. “It looks cool so I wanted to learn how to do it.”

“Sure. Here’s how to do it.” After Soul transformed, Maka grabbed him and assumed a stance. “First you have to acknowledge Nayumi’s wavelength. Let your soul wavelength sync with hers. Soon, everything will go naturally. Just watch.” Maka span the scythe, making slashes and thrusts in the process. During some points in the demonstration, the scythe moved so fast that streaks of white, red, and black surrounded the ashy blond.

All the while, Rowena leaned on her sledgehammer and studied her every move. She kept her eyes on Maka, for watching Soul himself made her eyes hurt.

Maka’s movements were fluid like water, leaping and landing in one motion, not a step out of place. After some time, she planted her feet into the floor, span the scythe above her head, and executed one last, powerful slash. Finally, she relaxed and faced the other girl. “And that's pretty much it.”

Rowena shook her head. “You make it look hard yet so easy.”

Maka chuckled nervously, one hand rubbing the back of her head. “Soul and I are used to this, so that’s probably why.” That out of the way, Maka wanted to test Rowena. “Okay, let’s start off slowly. Try doing this.” Starting off with three regular spins out front, Maka’s hand motions on the fourth and final one made the scythe follow a complete lemniscate path.

“Looks simple enough.” Rowena held the sledgehammer out with one hand and rotated it thrice. On the fourth one, she used her free hand to nudge it like she saw Maka do. The hammerhead rose at the end of the first loop and struck Rowena on the side of her head. “OW!” The girl collapsed, dropping her weapon as she held her head.

“R-Rowena!” Maka kneeled down beside the older girl, seeing her eyes spin. “You okay?!”

“I-I guess so.” Rowena shook her head, getting rid of the dizziness. “Geez. What was _that_?”

“You have to keep guiding your weapon,” Maka explained. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t expect that to happen. That required subtle but constant hand motions to keep the Weapon going without hitting the Meister’s body. After the initial nudge, Maka could tell from Rowena’s body language she assumed the sledgehammer would keep going.

With a snarl, Rowena shot back to her feet and picked Nayumi up. “Again.”

“Sure thing. Watch me carefully.” Maka demonstrated once more, hoping the Ricardsen paid closer attention to her hands. “Go for it.”

Rowena tried it again, but this time wound up hitting her leg. The girl dropped Nayumi again, jumping up and down as she held the afflicted area. “I think I just kneecapped myself,” she said in a strained voice.

Maka shook her head, noticing the nudge wasn’t forceful enough. She figured Rowena wasn’t as confident after the first error. “Perhaps you should practice with the less dangerous training weapons in the dojo?”

“Yeah. Before you make yourself crippled and concussed,” Soul lazily added in. His image appeared on his blade, red eyes drifting to the purple and grey sledgehammer. “That sure looks heavy.”

Nayumi’s reflection showed on the hammerhead. “My weapon form weighs roughly three hundred pounds.” Stifling a giggle at Maka’s and Soul’s eyes bulging out, she continued, “It is a good thing Rowena is literally perfect for me. Sure, I could match wavelengths with someone, but picking me up is another story.”

Rowena stopped jumping around and started putting weight on her knee again. “And, even then, when we first started, I had to take long breaks between sessions so I didn’t strain or tear nothing. I still sometimes wrap up my wrists or back.”

“I understand the feeling.” Maka traced the outline of Soul’s cutting edge with a finger. “See? Soul’s cutting edge faces me, so I have to be extra careful not to hurt myself. It was almost a problem at first, but they have books in the library written by past Scythe Meisters and Demon Scythes to help future ones.”

“That’s cool.” Rowena sighed and placed her hands on her hips. She wasn’t one for giving up but nearly bashing her head in and breaking her leg discouraged her. “We’ll stop here for today. I need to hit the gym anyway.”

“Trying to become the world’s strongest woman, Rowena?” Soul joked, reverting to a human state. Nayumi did the same.

Rowena chuckled but shook her head to let him know he was wrong. “It’s out of necessity. If I don’t work out consistently, I’ll lose strength. Kinda need that.”

“You go do that then, Rowena.” Maka said, offering a smile, “See you two at the party tonight?”

The girls smiled back. “Of course!”

* * *

Garbed in martial arts robes and armed with training greaves, Tsuji maintained a kickboxing stance as he eyed the practice dummies circling him. At his feet was a button meant to activate them. Breathing in air through his nose, Tsuji held up his hands, clenching imaginary tennis balls.

Pressing the button with his heel and approaching the first one, the training session began.

The dummies’ arms mimicked straight jabs and uppercuts. Tsuji brought up a leg one at a time to block or retaliate with various kicks. Before he became accustomed to one dummy, he danced around to meet with another, reacting as quickly as he could to their automated movements. His body jerked from one direction to the other in rhythm to the opposite lines of each attack.

He shook things up, stopping a dummy’s uppercut with his hand and retaliating by spinning his heel into its head. He flipped out of the way and jumped high enough to avoid a jab, striking with yet another kick. Tsuji rolled into the safe zone and contemplated his next course of action.

As soon as he decided to go back to the first dummy, he saw its face.

The Kishin Egg that nearly killed him five years ago.

He froze. The arm of the training dummy landed a precise blow to his face. Blood splattered from his nose as Tsuji staggered into the safe zone. Lurched over but oddly quiet, Tsuji slammed his hand on the stop button to deactivate the circle of training dummies.

Just like on Cobra Island, fear regained its hold on him.

“Son of a... _bitch_!” Tsuji lunged and punched a dummy so hard he broke its head off. Panting heavily, the boy leaned against the damaged dummy, suddenly sapped of his will to continue training.

“Uh, Tsuji?”

Tsuji’s eyes shot open, covering his nose with his sleeve, as he turned to face Soul and Maka, who poked their heads in the entrance. “Oh, hey, guys!” His eyes shifted around, trying to look for something to help save face. “I was I just... I was just...” With a defeated sigh, he slumped over. “Yeah, I got pissed.”

Soul helped himself in, looking at the blood soaked on the robe’s sleeve and the head of the training dummy rolling away. “We can see that.”

Maka retrieved a towel and tossed it to Tsuji. “So what’s the matter?”

He caught it and replaced his sleeve with it. At least his nose wasn’t broken. “I guess you can say I’m still shaken up.” The two stared mutely at him. He was sure they remembered his egregious reaction back on Cobra Island. With another sighed, he confessed, “Okay. A lot shaken up. I get flashbacks every now and then. It sometimes keeps me up at nights. It’s got me all kinds of stressed out. I’m tryin’ to move on but, goddamn it, it’s so difficult!”

“Sounds like you need a break, man.” Soul elected to help Tsuji out by beginning to move the training dummies to their proper place.

Tsuji rolled his eyes with a scoff. “ _Do_ we get breaks?”

“Well yeah,” Maka answered, “For starters, there’s summer vacation that starts at the end of April. Lord Death also usually gives us days off around the DWMA Anniversary Celebration on April 1.”

Tsuji deadpanned. “You’re talkin’ about stuff a month away, Albarn.”

Maka shrugged her shoulders. “Then just go to school until then. We all need some time away from missions. I mean, I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner, you being a rookie and all.” Seeing him hang his head, the Scythe Meister walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, Tsuji. You can get over this. That fear should empower you, not weigh you down.”

“Right, right.” Tsuji removed the towel and noticed his nose stopped bleeding. “I’m gonna change, wash up, and go home.”

“Don’t forget to come by to our apartment for the party,” Soul said, done putting up the equipment, “I’ll text you the directions.”

“Gotcha.” Tsuji gave the two a parting, lazy salute as he strolled off. “Catch ya’ll later.”

* * *

Gunshots rang in the Academy shooting range. Laughing manically, Patty emptied the pellet gun into the targets in front of her. Wielding it onehanded, she shot over head, from between her legs, in an onehanded handstand, and in pretty much every pose except the proper one. “Look, Sis, I’m doing it!”

“You sure are, Patty!” Liz cheered on her younger sister, applauding. “Keep at it!”

Liz couldn’t hear the sounds of someone entering the shooting range over the gunshots. Marcellus glimpsed Patty’s form and approached the older Thompson. Hands in his pockets, he slouched in posture. “You are aware she’s doing it all wrong, right?”

Liz turned to Marcellus, blinking. “But she’s hitting bulls-eyes.”

“She’s practicing bad habits.”

“Oh, whatever, Marcellus. What are you doing here anyway?”

The African-American grabbed a chair and plopped into it. “I wanted somewhere to rest but didn’t feel like going home yet.”

“I don’t think this is the best place to do that.” Liz watched her sister reload her pellet gun and move on to more difficult targets. Since Kid for some reason never was cursed, the two of them agreed to improve their marksmanship should something like that happen in the future. The gunshots resumed and Liz stifled a giggle when Marcellus jerked back to wakefulness. Other than Patty, silence lingered between them, Liz unable to find a way to start up a conversation. She didn’t know much about Marcellus.

Except for...

“Um, Marcellus?” Liz thought about her choice of words. “I still remember the circle, and I don’t meant to be nosy—“

_“Then don’t be,”_ The Demon Bow wanted to say but lacked the guts to, instead keeping his mouth shut, even though he knew what she was about to say.

Liz deliberately paused to see his reaction. When he made no reaction, she interpreted his silence as a sign to continue. “What’s being in the Chicago Underground Association like?”

“It’s not as glamorous as I think you’re trying to imply it is,” Marcellus replied in an even tone, removing his lollipop.

“W-what? No!” Liz shook her head and hands frantically. At this point, the gunfire ceased. “I’m not trying to imply anything at all! I just wanted to know how you survived. That’s a tough life to live; I can relate.”  

“Aww, Lizzy,” Patty turned around, one hand on her hip and frowning. “Why you gotta bring up the past?”

“I mean, it helps me appreciate what I have now, Patty.” Liz looked down somberly, her hair threatening to fall over her face like a curtain. “You, Kid, and the others. You’re all precious to me. Family even. I look back and say to myself ‘I never want to go back to that path,’ but I know there will be times I’ll be tried.” She lifted her head again and smiled at Patty. “So, it helps to get inspired by those who went through worse.”

Marcellus’s chair creaked as he stood up and began walking out. Thinking she offended him, Liz called out him, “W-Wait, Marcellus! I’m sorry! U-Uh, hey! Did you start on that report due—”

“Haven’t cared enough to start.” Marcellus answered offhandedly, leaving the shooting range. _“I don’t get this. Crona severs the only filial bond the dude has, yet Liz is over here preaching about family. ...Why am I even thinking about this? I’m trying to be a lawyer, not a philosopher or politician. Ah, forget this, I’m going home.”_

Patty stared sadly at her sister, went over to her, and hugged her. “It’s not your fault, sis. It sounds like he’s going through some things.” She then looked at the door where he exited and added in, “Besides, you couldn’t tell from the Kumbaya Circle? Unless you’re Nayumi, don’t bring up his past.”

* * *

The Ricardsen household was quiet. Too quiet in fact. As Noel checked around his house early evening, he could hear the wind blowing against it and the trees swaying outside. With his children and Nayumi, it never got like this until it was bedtime. Sure, Rowena and Nayumi had left for Maka and Soul’s apartment twenty minutes ago, but Tsuji was still around.

Brow furrowing, the single father went upstairs to the room Tsuji and Marcellus shared, thankful his footsteps didn’t make that much noise. Before he knocked on the bedroom door, they started speaking.

“You going?”

“Are you?”

“Don’t know now.”

“Me either. I just want to lay here and read these poems.”

“You? Read? It must be raining cats and dogs somewhere in the world.”

“Looks who’s talking. You aren’t asleep.”

“I have a lot on my mind.”

“Same here.”

Noel crossed his arms and leaned on the wall beside the door. They stopped talking, but he knew they weren’t doing anything. Quietly, Noel left to get the cleaning equipment, knowing the room – mostly on Marcellus’s side – was a sty. Noel didn’t have many real friends, you could count the number on one hand. But he kept them for a reason. He wasn’t going to let Tsuji and Marcellus throw theirs away – some of them he knew came from good people. Going back up the stairs, he said in his usual dry baritone, “Wonder if I can get all this cleaning done. Wish I had some help.”

In record time, the bedroom door burst open, Tsuji and Marcellus putting on their respective blazer and peacoat. “See ya, Old Man, we’re going to Maka and Soul’s.” His son gave him a parting, quick hug before he and his partner descended the steps.  

Noel shook his head, entering the bedroom. _“I knew that’d get them out of the house.”_

A parent had instincts, and Noel knew from the moment he landed on the island something went horribly wrong. Tsuji wasn’t as talkative as usual, aimlessly roamed in the house in the middle of night, and had less passion. Marcellus neglected schoolwork, slept in class more often, and even skipped physical education on occasion. It was unacceptable.

_“As soon as I find a reason to get Rowena and Nayumi out of the house, I’ll have a sit-down with those boys.”_

Noel gave the room an once-over and sighed, opening up a trash bag. “First, let’s get this place decent.”

* * *

Everybody settled in the living room in Maka and Soul’s apartment. As it turned out, Crona had prepared a meal for each person out of gratitude for seeing them in their new home. Most of the dishes’ presentation stood out, such as Kid’s finger sandwiches being arranged in an eight, Blackstar’s in a star, and Patty’s and Nayumi’s in the shape of giraffe and monkey respectively. Special mention went to Ox’s dish, which featured a delicately-made Mobius strip.

"Wow, Crona, you made all this yourself?" Kim asked, giggly lighting as she poked the crouton in her salad that marked the tanuki’s nose. “I didn’t even know you could cook.”

Crona smiled softly and nodded. “Well, I have to cook my own food and Ragnarok's. So yes.”

Ragnarok licked his lips, saliva falling out of his mouth. “And Patchy the Pirate helped a little before everyone got here, so Crona can't take all the credit.”

Crona frowned and pushed the Demon Sword away so none of his drool got in the food. “Her name is Ms. Marie! And I used a cookbook too.”

Ragnarok inhaled deeply, savoring the smell of the fried chicken. “If she keeps making fried chicken like this, I'll call her ‘boss,’ man”

Kid cleared his throat, getting ready to speak. "Well, nonetheless, Crona, we all thank you for this. Maka, Soul, we’re glad that you could have us all.”

Maka smiled brightly. "You're welcome, Kid, everyone.” She grabbed the tea kettle and started pouring herself a cup. “I won’t lie. Even though we got lucky, there’s nobody I’d risk my life with besides you guys.”

“Oh great. We’re gettin’ mushy up in here.” Rowena chuckled sarcastically, accepting the tea kettle once Maka was done with it. But before she poured her own cup, she noticed a cat walking along the headrest behind Marcellus. “Huh. You guys didn’t tell me you had a cat.”

“Hm?” Soul noticed Blair eyeballing Marcellus’s fish over his shoulder as he ate slowly. “Oh, that’s just Blair. She’s been with us for a while now.” Swallowing, he leaned back his seat, remembering something. “Oh yeah. This is yours, your brother’s, Marcellus’s, and Nayumi’s first time coming here.”

“Yep.” Rowena sampled the tea and hummed in satisfaction at the hint of orange extract she tasted. “Hey, Crona? What kind of tea is this?”

“Orange Spiced Black Tea.” Crona ducked its head, bracing for any kind of opinion. “You don’t like it?”

Rowena shook her head. “Oh, no. In fact, I wanna know the recipe. I plant my own tea leaves and make my own tea, so I’m always lookin’ for ways to improve.”

Feeling Blair paw at his shoulder, Marcellus relented, breaking off a piece of fish and offering it to the cat. Blair greedily ate it, savoring the taste as he mewed repeatedly. “So good. So delicious. So _heavenly_!” Then, the unexpected happened. Pink smoke enveloped Blair and, when it disappeared, Blair was in human form, sitting sideways in Marcellus’s lap as she continued eating his fish.

“...Can you please stop eating my stuff?” Marcellus demanded, uncaring that a cat turned into a woman. Or that Blair’s position gave him a plain view of her cleavage.

Setting her fork down, Nayumi glared at Blair, losing her usual cheer. “And can you get off him? You’re making him uncomfortable.”

Blair titled her head at the purple-haired girl, a grin forming on her face that showed her fangs. If she was anything like Claudia, it would be a cinch to rile her up. Wrapping one arm around his neck, she pressed herself against Marcellus but garnered no reaction from him. “Really? I think you’re just jealous.”

“...What?”

“All implications included.”

“ _Why you_ —!”

Nayumi’s hand shape-shifted into a hammerhead. It took the combined efforts of Patty and Kilik to keep her from disfiguring the chuckling cat-woman. Meanwhile, an apathetic Marcellus continued to eat even with Blair still in his lap heckling Nayumi.

Soul sighed and smiled at Crona, who was wondering what to make of the scene. "I guess all there is to say is welcome home, Crona Makenshi."

_“Home.”_ Crona looked around at them all. Gone was the past, gone was her. Just a new future with new family and friends.  
  
Tears welled in Crona’s eyes but the meister blinked them away before looking back at Soul. “Thank you. Thank you all.”

_“For everything.”_  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I personally would like to apologize. This particular arc took too long to finish. Between various setbacks, more important matters, and a dip in drive in the past, I can only imagine how it felt to wait for this arc to finish. 
> 
> I hope to rectify the pacing with the Chicago Gang arc to start in the next chapter.
> 
> By the way, Kitsunetsuki Foxworth is the name we selected for the nameless Witch Judge that loved to give out improbable numbers of death sentences.


	36. An Uncertain Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Soriano, Novus Partus has been born, and Cancer's first order of business as its leader is using the Anria to bring the Chicago Gang to their doom. Beginning of the Chicago Gang Arc.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Exposition-heavy chapter coming up, people. This should explain some things.
> 
> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story

**An Uncertain Future**  
  
 _Month 2, Week 3, Day 6 (Saturday, February 20th)_  
  
Kid marched his way towards the Death Room, ignoring the passing security guards that greeted him. He had too much on his mind right now  
  
 _“The Immortal Clan persecution… Death sent his men to eliminate us because we go against his ‘rules.’ Our immorality challenges death.”_  
  
 _“You follow that reaper so blindly that you think you can run anyone that's different from you! Your god sees us as ‘evil.’ Who is he to judge us for who we are?!”_  
  
The Period of Destruction. The Immortal Clan persecution. Kid wanted answers, and he knew his father was the only one who could grant them. He would not leave until he had some context about the blasphemy Free spat out days ago on Cobra Island. Right outside the hallway housing the Death Room’s entrance, Kid heard giggling. At first he wanted to ignore it, but it became louder and was joined by a rustling noise. Sighing, the Twin Pistol Meister followed the source and saw Kim counting money with a large grin on her face. Kid raised an eyebrow; it was a moment of rare enthusiasm that matched Patty’s.  
  
“I see someone’s cheerful today.” Kid spoke evenly, watching Kim flinch.  
  
A hand over her chest to calm her beating heart, Kim slumped when she saw him. “Oh, hey, Kid. Fancy meeting you here!”  
  
“I believe that should be my line. What are you doing here on a Saturday?”  
  
“Well, I came here to see Lord Death. But I got sidetracked because I just got my I.O.U. at double the price I asked!” Placing a finger to her lip, she debated whether to continue counting in Kid’s presence or not.   
  
Kid shook his head. Kim was what he heard others called a ‘money-monger.’ He honestly felt sorry for her victims. “Those poor people.”  
  
Kim shrugged her shoulders, not a hint of evident regret. “Hey, don’t know the game, don’t play.” She decided to make sure her earnings totaled to what she expected. She was sure Kid didn’t mind. “Ah, man, there’s nothing like counting money.”  
  
Kid disagreed. “If you say so.”  
  
“You just don’t know, Kid.” She flashed a smile, looking at him briefly. “Money can pretty much buy anything if you play your cards right.”  
  
“There are some things money can’t buy.” Being apart of Death’s family meant Kid was very rich, the Gallows Manor being the biggest indication, but neither he nor Lord Death were aristocrats. They had a much bigger purpose to fulfill than flaunt around their monetary superiority. They were gods of balance after all. In fact, Kid couldn’t even remember the last time he spent money casually. It was usually Liz and Patty doing that.   
  
Kim’s smile disappeared, dropping her arms as she glared at her fellow nonhuman. “Don’t lecture me about that.” The Son of Death simply walked over and leaned on the wall without saying a word. With a sigh, Kim did the same, pocketing her cash. “I mean, I’d love to live in a world full of sugar and rainbows where sayings like that hold merit, but it’s important to be realistic about things, even when reality isn’t pretty. People get scammed, people take a look at someone else’s worth, and other unpleasant stuff.”  
  
Kid stiffened during the ‘reality isn’t pretty’ part. Something about the phrase sounded foreboding to him. Shaking off the feeling, he addressed the witch, “This doesn’t have to do with you being a Witch in a school full of your natural enemies, does it?”  
  
Thus came a deafening silence. Kid knew he hit a sore spot. After the events of the failed Arachnophobia invasion, Kim’s nature as a Witch became public knowledge. It was met with mixed feelings; even Harvar still had trouble coping with the news, not that Kid blamed him. He even wondered how his new comrades really felt.   
  
Just then, a hearty laugh exploded from Kim and she punched his shoulder. “Oh, you! Trying to be philosophical! I’m fine, Kid. Don’t worry about me. Like I said, I’m a big, tough girl.”   
  
“If you say so.” Kid lifted himself off the wall. “If you please excuse me, I need to see my father.”  
  
“Oh! Let me come with you. I need to see him too.”  
  
In the Death Room. Lord Death stood in front of his mirror watching Saturday morning cartoons.  
  
 _“—By putting me in more danger?”  
  
“The plan had holes!” _  
  
The God of Death laughed, slapping his ‘knee’ with his large hand. “Ohh, that’s rich.” Just then, he heard footsteps and quickly shut off his mirror, facing his visitors.  “Oh my. Children at school on a Saturday? What has the world come to?” He chuckled as the same time as Kim while Kid remained mute. “Well, what’s up? I hope there’s nothing wrong.”  
  
“I wanted to report something I found out on Cobra Island,” Kim answered, “Although she’s dead now, Medusa knew Reanimation Magic. She used it on the target for the mission.”  
  
“Is that so?” Lord Death replied in a calm tone. _“Medusa. How and where did you get your hands on a magic spell forbidden by your brethren?”_   
  
Kid released a brief grunt, but it came out like a snarl. “I certainly want to meet the Witch who formulated something like Reanimation Magic.”  
  
Kim absentmindedly played with a strand of her pink hair. “Warlock,” she corrected him as an afterthought. She saw him look at her quizzically. “It was a Warlock who made the Reanimation Magic spell. Warlocks, or Sorcerers, created Magic and passed it down to Witches way, way back. Eibon is one you know. He’s the most famous one.”  
  
Thinking they were getting off-topic, Lord Death looked Kim dead in her eyes. “Anything else?”  
  
“If you’re asking how she got it, she never answered that question.”  
  
“Figures.” Lord Death sighed but looked at the positives. “At least Medusa is gone forever and Cobra Island has been quarantined by the Academy. Reanimation Magic shouldn’t be a problem anymore.” The God of Death then twisted his body to face his only child. “So, Kid? What about you?”  
  
“I also would like to talk about something pertaining to the faux VIP mission.” Kid put his hands inside his pockets, his expression unreadable like his father’s. “I believe you know about the Legendary Wolfman Free the Immortal? Naturally, he was one of Medusa’s consorts and he told me about something called the Immortal Clan persecution. Care to explain?”  
  
For someone who lived more than eight centuries, there were many things Lord Death wanted to put behind him. Some out of shame, others out of necessity, and a few because the future was brighter. The Immortal Clan persecution fell in the latter. It was done to help humanity survive and advance. Lord Death and Kid were engaged in a staring contest. Kid wasn’t going to budge, not until he got a satisfactory answer. If Lord Death dodged this question, this might strain their father-son relationship.   
  
Family first. Now that Kid connected a Line of Sanzu, it was time to ease him toward being the next Grim Reaper. He no longer needed to keep him in the dark. He needed to know the history of the world. Holding out both hands, he summoned a table. “Take a seat, kids. This might take a while.”   
  
Lord Death crouched down, Kim sat on her knees, and Kid crossed his legs Indian-style. He even took time to prepare tea and coffee for them. No tension needed to be in the air today. After the three took enough sips of their beverage, Lord Death deemed everyone relaxed enough to begin. “Kim, I’m sure you’ve heard about the Period of Destruction. After all, it’s the Academy’s bloodiest and darkest period of war against the Witch Society.”  
  
Kim groaned, resting her chin in her hand, elbow on the table. “Yeah. Didn’t it last like forever?”  
  
“Yes. A whole three centuries worth of on-and-off bloodshed. For reference, both World Wars began and ended during the Period of Destruction.” The god paused to sip and then looked at his son. “Kid, you know the regulation that the Japanese prime minister must be an Academy graduate?”  
  
Kid steepled his fingers. “I do.”   
  
“That’s because Japan in World War I sought the help of Witches.” Lord Death refilled his cup, shrugging his shoulders a little. “The Academy usually stays out of the affairs of normal humans, but as soon as the supernatural gets involved, so do we.”  
  
“Understandable,” Kid said, “The werewolf mentioned the persecution also happened in the Period of Destruction.” Now he reached the heart of the matter – learning what connected Immortals to a conflict between the Witch Society and the DWMA.  
  
“And he’s right. It did.” Another pause, but Lord Death made no movements, looking out into the seemingly endless expanse of the Death Room. He reached into the far depths of his memory, gathering the thoughts he wanted to convey to his son and his friend. “You see, kids, the DWMA has been in defensive wars since the very beginning. We don’t start them senselessly, but we can and will end them to ensure peace and order for mankind.”  
  
The God of Order refilled his cup and theirs, despite none of them being empty, to keep himself occupied as he talked. “There’s a little thing called propaganda. Someone twists right meanings, moves around the right words, and preaches them to those he knows will listen. Propaganda spreads like the plague, and it can become the one truth people adhere to. People will do anything to turn others against me. Whether to satisfy their own designs or to undermine what I’ve built.”  
  
Lord Death picked up his cup but did not drink, instead staring at his reflection in the liquid. “I’m sure that the Immortal is simply one of those victims. I, for one, can tell you with certainty he would have a better future if his fellow Immortals did not make life so difficult. Werewolves in particular are a finicky butch.”  
  
Suddenly losing the urge to drink, the Academy headmaster set down his cup. “And, unfortunately, I cannot keep a reign on every single member of the organization. In times of war, emotions run high and the individual begins to worry about himself. I’m probably not lying when I say some people got overzealous fighting and persecuting the Immortals.”  
  
“I… see.” At that moment, Kid realized his father carried the heaviest burden of anyone alive right now. He saw many people come and go and went through so much in life. Yet, he found a reason every day to laugh, smile, and joke around. He truly was a leader and a protector of balance.   
  
Suddenly, reality struck Kid. _“And to think, I have to succeed him in every aspect.”_   
  
“So then!” Lord Death clapped his hands together, chipper all over again. “Any other questions? Moans, groans, complaints?”  
  
Kim stood from her seat and stretched her back. “No, I think we’re done.” As informative as the meeting was, this somber conversation was bringing her high spirits down. “Come on, Kid. Let’s go.”   
  
“Very well then.” Kid rose from his seat, taking his cup with him. He gave his father an appreciative smile, having a newfound respect for him. “Thank you for your time, Father.”  
  
Lord Death nodded happily. “Anytime.”  
  
The two nonhumans exited the Death Room. Now, Kid was left to figure out what to do for the rest of the day. Kim removed her money, did a quick count, and came up with an idea to relieve her boredom. “Hey, Kid. Come with me to the mall.”  
  
“Why?”  
  
Kim frowned, shooting him a dull look. “To go shopping, duh! As much as I like to keep money, I still have to spend some to live.”  
  
“Is Jacqueline unavailable?” He started finishing off the rest of his drink.  
  
“Yeah. She wanted to check up on Tsuji.” An impish smile. “Heh. I guess the straight-edged chick wants someone to _smooth_ out her edges.”   
  
As soon as the emphasis reached his ears, Kid spat out his drink, causing Kim to burst into a fit of laughter.   
  


* * *

  
  
Cancer checked surveillance to see how Gilgamesh fared. In the DWMA base in the Netherlands, the Anria lied on a single platform, tied up in chains and weighed down by heavy boulders. The Surveillance Crab hid in a spot where no officer could find it, allowing Cancer to watch Gilgamesh’s progress. It seemed have grown legs and, if its desperate cries of mercy during experimentation were any indication, its speech was more cohesive. While Cancer was fine with the DWMA learning about what made the Anria tick, getting Gilgamesh back home before they put it down was a priority. Unfortunately, the Netherlands DWMA base was one of the most heavily fortified in the world.  
  
The automatics doors on the other side of the room opened and she heard familiar voices. Looking over her shoulder, Cancer saw Henderson escorting Kujira in. “Hello, Neptune, I presume you had a safe trip.”  
  
“Uh, sort of.” Kujira brushed off some sand from her coat and adjusted her glasses. “It’s kind of chaotic up on the surface.”  
  
The Massacre Queen met them in the middle of her sanctuary. “I am aware. How may I help you?”  
  
Kujira removed a handled POS system from inside her coat and showed it to Cancer. “I just came here to report that your shipment has arrived.” She cycled through all of the items so her younger sister could know she received everything she asked for. “It’s all outside, but Henderson said he’ll take care of it. Just wanted to let you know.”  
  
Cancer nodded a little. “Finally. Now I must wait for Portis and his associates to fulfill their end of the bargain.”  
  
Kujira put the POS away. “How’s that going anyway?”  
  
Cancer returned to the mother-computer to go back to work, her older sister following her. “I provided them with a shipment of Anria to store beneath the surface of their dominion.”  
  
The Other Side Gang member draped her arms around Cancer’s neck, oblivious to the younger woman stiffening on contact. “How did you convince them to go with that? Don Ardsen and Master Morgan are strictly about monetary gain.”  
  
A long pause followed, Cancer wishing Kujira to get the hint she did not want to be touched. The older woman indeed noticed and gave Cancer her personal space back. Only then did she answer, “Most people are attracted to power. Henderson and I convinced him to take the Anria because of their power.”  
  
“Cool.” Kujira smiled slyly, leaned over, and whispered into Cancer’s ear. “Now tell me what the Anria really are.”  
  
Cancer glimpsed Kujira’s prying gaze and sickeningly sweet smile. ‘Power’ could be anything, and it appeared Kujira was smart enough to read between the lines and then some. She was a Lucrenian after all. Typing in some commands, the mother-computer’s screen glowed and projected a catalogue of Anria. Kujira noticed their body models ranged from humanoid, to animalistic, to amorphous. What remained consistent was the grey coloration complemented by hints of blues, white, and a little green. _“What are these things? Living rocks and minerals with a creepy fish eye?”_  
  
“This part I did not lie about: the Anria do possess a primitive form of intelligence that allows them to take orders and acknowledge their masters. What I purposely left out is that Anria attack restlessly. They do not stop until the last spark of life has faded from their victims or until they themselves die. I also neglected to tell him that I am their ultimate authority. With the right command, my Anria will tear that place asunder in minutes.”  
  
“I’m guessing, when that time comes, tell about my pals to steer clear, right?”  
  
“Indeed. Anria do not prey upon humankind like Kishin Eggs, but they will find and consume any soul they can as long as it is within orders. Case in point,” Cancer glided her hand across the interactive keyboard and one of the screens showed Anria ravaging Somerset Village, Bermuda and wresting souls from the human citizens.   
  
Kujira’s stomach twisted in a knot. Sure, as a gang member, she had seen and done some pretty nasty things, but this was nothing more than sheer brutality. She swallowed thickly, watching a pack of Anria tear down a building to get to the people hidden inside. And if she heard her younger sister correctly, she ordered this to happen. To get her mind off this, she focused on another issue. “Um. Aren’t you concerned the Academy might come in?”  
  
Henderson, who stood some feet away still as a statue, spoke up, “Not an issue whatsoever. We effectively have cut off Bermuda from the rest of the world.”  
  
“Bermuda can do nothing but give up hope and await their end. I wanted to see more Anria change and develop like Gilgamesh did. If I am to create a new world, I need an army strong enough to combat all inevitable opposition. The Anria play a vital role as our main fighting force.”  
  
Adjusting her collar, Kujira fidgeted in her spot. “All this talk about Anria and neither of you told me _how_ you made them.”  
  
With a press of a button, a picture appeared beside the catalogue of Anria. Kujira squinted her eyes. It was blurry, very much outdated, but she made out the figure of a dark entity. A streamlined mass of pitch-black with a large maw and a single crimson slit atop its head. Kujira’s eyes widened, recognizing the creature. “Is that… the Primordial Form of Project Omega?”  
  
“Absolutely.”  
  
Kujira cupped her chin, recalling the times she hung out with their mother in Atlantis. “The ‘template’ that which represents its great potential and immense power. I believe that’s what Mom called it.”  
  
“That so? Hm. Well, in any case, I became well-acquainted its Primordial Form these past two hundred years. I even summoned it in Rozniak to help kill the Vladinghams. Although, in retrospect, it was a huge gamble. The damage to its body was great from prolonged combat and its unstable condition.” Storing away the Anria catalogue, she pulled up a 3D image of a black, wiry creature. It sported three black mandibles, each with three curved spikes.  
  
Kujira compared it to Project Omega’s Primordial Form. “Hm. It looks kinda like a little Mini-PF.”  
  
“I was able to extract parts of the Primordial Form’s body. We dubbed these separate creatures ‘Darkling’. Then, some old comrades of mine stole a crystal called Magicite from the witch researchers, and I used that to create something better, the first Anria Gilgamesh. Once I ran proper tests, I learned how to create more Anria completely from scratch.”  
  
“The production of Anria largely rests on my shoulders nowadays,” Henderson added in, “Lady Cancer believes she has sidetracked herself enough. Project Omega needs her attention.”  
  
“That’s understandable.” She smiled and patted Cancer on her shoulder, recoiling when her eyes flashed. “U-Um… Anyway! Cancer, I know mechanics, building, and engineering are more up your alley. So, if you need anything biological done, just ask me. That’s what I’m good at. I want to help complete Project Omega too.”  
  
“Good. It would have been an insult to me if you felt otherwise.”  
  
Kujira winced, feeling the sting of her retort. “Geez, Sis, no need to act like that.” Her cell phone then vibrated and she whipped it out to check the message she received. “Boss requests a brief summit with you.”  
  
“Of course he does.” With an annoyed sigh, Cancer brushed past Kujira, hurrying out. “Let us get this over with.”  
  
Kujira stood frozen in her spot. Now that the initial shock of their reunion had ebbed, Kujira could see the effects of two centuries apart – Cancer changed into something cold and unfeeling. Before, she reacted to her hugs with minor annoyance. Now Kujira sensed killing intent directed to her, Cancer’s own blood. _“If only I knew where she was all this time. Way to go, Neptune, sending just a damn letter to an abandoned site while you partied it up with gangsters.”_  
  
Hearing Henderson beginning to leave, the witch snapped herself out of her thoughts. “Henderson? Has Cancer been like this since the Lucrenian Clan Incident?”  
  
The monster man turned back to her. “I cannot answer that for sure, Lady Neptune. I’ve only been her partner since twenty-three years back. But, in time I have known her, yes. Does something trouble you?”  
  
“First of all, just call me Neptune or even my codename Kujira. And…” She placed her hands on her hips and shook her head, kicking imaginary dust. “Yeah, a little bit. I mean, Cancer used to be a pretty mellow chick when me, her, and Mom hung around. But, then again, she’s acted pretty… strange.”  
  
“Strange as in…?”  
  
“Quiet, to herself, immersed in her studies, and definitely had the scowl she does now.” She reconsidered her thoughts, comparing the Cancer of now to then. The changes were only minor. “Now that I’m standing here talking to you about it, I no longer can tell if she’s worsened or has always been this way but never showed it.”  
  
Henderson thought Cancer’s standoffishness towards Kujira was a result of their time apart. It had to be. Cancer had too much pride in the Lucrenian Clan to act hostile to a fellow Lucrenian, much less her own sister. Time should fix this. “If my humble opinion matters, Neptune, I would suggest to not worry so much about it. Just work with us and your kin. You shall not be disappointed.”  
  
The futile was uncertain, but Kujira decided to put stock into it. Her signature smile formed back on her face. “I better not be.”  
  


* * *

  
  
“ _Boooooooss_!”  
  
Kujira burst into Soriano’s office, bounded over, and captured the man into a hug. “I’m here! And I brought Cancer too!”  
  
“Kujira, get off me,” he demanded. With a pout, the witch released him as several other gangsters filed in, escorting a cloaked Cancer and Henderson. He put out his cigar and finished off his drink. He jabbed his thumb in the direction of his high-ranking officer. “Does she always do this?”  
  
When offered a seat by a gangster, Cancer remained standing and glanced at her sister before she addressed the Other Side Gang boss. “Whenever she can. Neptune lacks a perception of personal space.” Her tone lacked humor of any sort, but a few of the gangsters laughed, aware of the truth of her words.   
  
Soriano held up a hand and all chatter stopped. “I apologize for bringing you here on such short notice, but this just dawned on me. For the sake of business, give me the name of your organization, operation, or whatever you call it.”  
  
“We do not have one.”  
  
“Just make one up. Think of it as a formality.”  
  
Cancer released a long, quiet exhale. Humans and their ways never ceased to amaze her. Hoping Soriano and his goons had patience, the Lucrenian proceeded to go through names in her head. If this was part of the deal, she figured she’d put some effort into it, a name even she could be proud of. One that summed up her goals. “Novus Partus.”   
  
Soriano stared expressionlessly at her for a few seconds. “Nunna what now?”   
  
“Uh, it’s Latin, sir.” A gangster in the back clarified.   
  
“Indeed. It means ‘new offspring.’ Novus Partus’ aim is to complete Project Omega, the herald of a new world who even the Academy cannot—”    
  
She missed Soriano suddenly frowning, anger flaring up in his gold eyes. “Oh, hold on. The _Academy_?!” He whipped out an Uzi from under his desk and, before Cancer knew it, every Other Side Gang member followed his lead, pointing every gun known to man at her and Henderson.  
  
“W-W-W-Wait! Guys!” Kujira threw herself in front of Cancer and Henderson, face paler than a ghost, waving her arms like a headless chicken trying to fly. “B-Boss! What are you doing?!”  
  
Soriano locked eyes with Cancer, slowly rising from his seat. Kujira wasn’t even relevant to him right now. “You didn’t tell me nothing about attracting the Academy’s attention.”  
  
Even with the knowledge that a wrong move meant she’d be filled with bullets, Cancer felt no need to change her tone. Not even the Vladinghams, one of the five most influential ‘legacy families’ in DWMA history, made her cow. Mere armed humans were nothing to her. “I trusted you to connect the dots when I explained my motives the last time we met.”  
  
Soriano narrowed his eyes, trying her. “Are you crazy or something?”  
  
Cancer did the same, accepting the challenge. “I believe you came to that conclusion also in our prior meeting.”  
  
“I can handle other gangs, even Portis and his lackeys. Hell, I can deal with the FBI and Chicago PD under the right circumstances.” He activated the scope on his Uzi, pointing a red dot right between Cancer’s eyes. Still no reaction. “But I swear to God, Cancer, if me and my business go under because the Academy pronounces us public enemy number one, the only thing you and that ‘new world order’ bullshit is gonna be good for is an epitaph on your goddamn tombstone!”   
  
Aware Cancer’s attitude would only worsen the situation, Kujira decided to step in and pacify the situation. “N-Now, now, Boss. There’s nothing to be afraid of. Remember, the Academy doesn’t get involved in normal human business. You said it yourself long time ago, we’re safe because only the people in this room know I’m a Witch.” She saw Soriano’s gaze drop, and he lowered his Uzi. Kujira smiled softly and let her arms fall too. “Novus Partus will take care of the Academy. All the Other Side Gang has to do is work in the shadows like always.”  
  
Despite Soriano seemingly calming down, Henderson kept a close eye on the minions around him. He also spotted Kujira’s heart visibly pounding in her chest. _“You’re more frightened than we are, and we’re the ones held at gunpoint.”_  
  
Soriano released a held breath and the manic fire in his eyes disappeared. He switched on the safety to his Uzi and gestured his men and women to stand down. “All right, fine. Now, I’m only doing this because of Kujira. Understand?”  
  
No response from Cancer, though Kujira thought that was best. The silver-haired witch turned around as two gangsters opened the door for her. “Now, if you ladies and gentlemen will excuse me, I have to initiate the downfall of the Chicago Gang.”  
  
As she and Henderson walked out, Kujira slumped, snatched off her glasses, and wiped the fog that accumulated on them. _“Preferably before we all kill each other.”_  
  


* * *

  
  
The lamp hanging in a dark room swung back and forth, Marlon’s pallid face lit by the dim light. He stayed calm and collected as he stared out in the dark, sweat threatening to come down his face.  
  
Leaning on the door with his arms crossed, Portis faced the De Niro family boss without a hint of emotion. “You have been gone for quite some time, Marlon. I hope your intentions are well-meaning.”   
  
Marlon clicked his tongue. “I’ve been doing what you and Master Morgan have requested of me.”  
  
“Is that so?” Portis stepped out of the darkness and stood across from the table, drumming his fingers against the surface. “Then please, reiterate your assigned tasks.”  
  
Marlon crossed his arms and cracked a toothy smirk. “Find Marcellus and find that Witch I let escape from my employer.”  
  
“In that case, a status report would be nice.” It was a nice, calm, quiet demand. Grin vanishing in an instant, Marlon dropped his head, having nothing of importance to say. Portis frowned. “So let me get this straight, Marlon. Not only did you fail Morgan, my wife and your immediate boss, but also you’ve yet to locate the whereabouts of Marcellus, our missing son?”  
  
Marlon gave a slow, confirmatory nod.  
  
“You know, Morgan may be fighting flu right now, but I’m sure once she hears one of her men disappointed her,” Portis paused and smiled eerily, “she might want to come in here herself. Would you like that?”  
  
Portis was only his boss by association, a fact Marlon loved to constantly remind him of. Morgan was the true head of the De Niro family, who assimilated into the Chicago Gang through their marriage. Noticing his face remaining taut, Portis nodded to someone beside Marlon. “Or, rather, should we keep this up?”   
  
A flash of light, and a blade found itself at Marlon’s neck. Looking off to the side, he saw Left holding out a shikomizue. His mind automatically reminded him the Chicago Gang was still a leading group in the underground world.   
  
‘Don’t cross the boss’ was literally the first thing rookies were told.   
  
“Are you sweating, Mr. Marlon?” Voice barely above a whisper, Portis leaned forward, looking through him rather than at him. “Should I turn the heat down?”  
  
Marlon’s body burned but his blood ran cold, all because he couldn’t stop thinking about whose punishment was worse: Don Portis’s or Master Morgan’s. Portis grinned, watching Marlon’s throat muscles contract, hands shake in his lap, and eyes look everywhere but at him and his henchman.   
  
“I… will stay diligent. My men and I won’t stop searching.”  
  
Portis chuckled and snapped his fingers. The shikomizue turned back into the human Right, and the whole room lit up. “Glad to know we’re on the same page.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I tossed in quite a bit of info regarding Project Omega and the Anria. If anyone has any questions, just leave a comment or send a note. If something sounds too vague or too complicated, point it out! I’ll fix and answer everything. 
> 
> If this chapter bored you, don’t worry, the action resumes in the next.


	37. Power Born of Despair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The duty calls Tsuji and Marcellus, and they decide this will be their last mission until they take a break from the action. However, this mission will prove far more impactful on their lives than they anticipated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.

**Power Born of Despair**  
  
A few Other Side Gang members rode their bikes through the outskirts of town, hoods up and raging through the shadows. Since both civilians and police were more active at night, they had to be careful. The bikes came to a screeching halt, the criminals surveying the area.  
  
“I heard this is where they jacked my partner,” a gangster informed, dismounting his ride. The others followed suit, whipping out their rifles and keeping their knives ready in case close-quarters combat ensued.  
  
Someone whistled, drawing the attention of the Other Side Gang members. It was Clarke leaning against a signpost, tossing them a lazy wave.  
  
An Other Side Gang member sneered at the sight Clarke’s nonchalant smugness. “Tch. Clarke. Should’ve known it was you.” All safeties were turned off and the guns were pointed at the sole Chicago Gang member.  
  
Clarke chuckled, snapped his fingers, and prepared himself for the show.  
  
From nowhere, three Anria jumped out and landed in front of the Other Side gangsters with thunderous thuds. Growling, the creatures locked on to their targets with their opaque, grey eyes. “What the hell is this?!” A gangster screamed. Gritting his teeth, he and his companions unloaded their guns into the Anria.  
  
The bullets never broke skin.  
  
The trio of Anria roared in unison, deafening screeches that echoed into the night. The Other Side gangsters hastily dropped their weapons and sprinted for their bikes. Before they reached them, the Anria pounced, grabbing them with theirs arms, claws, or even mouths. The gangsters kicked and screamed bloody murder as they were dragged off into the shadows. Clarke winced at the sounds of flesh ripping and bone cracking, but as quickly as it begun, it stopped. The Anria made short work of them.  
  
“ _Leave me alone_!” Except for one. A gangster sprinted out, outfit in tatters and blood streaking his body. A flying Anria darted out and tackled the person into the ground. A talon pressing the gang member’s face into the ground, the Anria watched human’s eyes bulge out and sweat fall in rivulets. The skin below its eye cracked in a line, and its mouth opened. Black miasma poured out and rows upon rows of sharp teeth faced the pinned gangster.  
  
It too wasted no time claiming a human soul.  
  
Clarke adjusted his collar and took a deep breath as the Anria reconvened. “I guess Don Portis really did make a good deal. Shooting at them won’t work and they don’t stop until the job is—” He flinched when nearby sires blared and tires screeched. It was Chicago PD. “Shoot!” Before he even moved, a score of police cars stormed the area. Looking at the Anria, Clarke frantically pointed at the police officers. “ _Get them too_!”  
  
And so they did. The Anria tore through the cars with ease to get to the officers in them. A humanoid Anria flipped vehicles over with its disproportionately large arm, injuring and crushing the officers in them. A bestial Anria pursued officers trying to flee, and a flying Anria eliminated stragglers.  
  
All the while, Clarke did nothing but watch. “Wow. Look at ‘em go.”  
  


* * *

  
  
_Month 2, Week 3, Day 7 (Sunday, February 21th)_  
  
Noel sat in his armchair in his living room, talking on the phone. “Yeah. I took care of it. We’ll determine the punishment at school tomorrow. Yeah. Have a good rest of the day.” He hung up and exhaled sharply. His whole morning consisted of taking care of a rowdy Correctional Class student. _“Why do these kids love acting out? Why can’t they just be normal?”_  
  
Nayumi skipped by, a cup of juice in hand. “Hey, Mr. Ricardsen.”  
  
Noel lifted his head, realizing everyone was home at the moment. “Nayumi, come here for a second.” The girl stopped and hurried over, tilting her head at him. Noel steepled his fingers, staring at the girl. “Listen. This is about Marcellus and my son.”  
  
Nayumi smiled wryly. “This is about Cobra Island, huh?”  
  
“So you noticed.”  
  
“Who hasn’t?” She took a sip of her fruit juice. “Why do you think Jackie took Tsuji out all the day yesterday? Why do you think me and Rowena keep bothering Marcellus? We’re trying our best to keep a reign on them.”  
  
Noel sat back into his seat, sighing in relief. “They’re lucky to have you guys.” That made his job a little easier. He watched the Demon Sledgehammer chug down the rest of her drink, trying to think of a way to keep the conversation going. “Listen, Nayumi, how about you?”  
  
She pointed at herself. “Me?” She flashed a sickeningly sweet smile, rocking back and forth on her feet. “I’m just my normal, super-cute self.”  
  
Noel refrained from rolling his eyes. “Let me rephrase. Do you like it here?”  
  
Nayumi stared at him as if he asked the world’s dumbest question. “Of course I do!” She held the empty cup in both hands, gaze dropping. “I mean, sure, the first two years were kinda boring, but it paid off in the end. I have great friends, an awesome partner, and a better handle on life.” She stared at her reflection inside the cup. At one point, she too felt as empty as it. “I mean, come on, you saw me when we first met. I looked dreadful.” One smile brightened up her face as she looked at her guardian of two years. “In fact, I owe a lot to you, Mr. Ricardsen. Even with two children, widowed, and a low middle-class standing, you still took care of me and Marcellus. And, right now, I just realized something. I never thanked you for that.” She walked over and hugged Noel. “So… thanks!”  
  
Noel ruffled her purple hair. Honestly, he felt sorry for her at times. Her parents were only concerned about her worth to them, much like how his own wanted to see how good a stress toy he was. “You’re welcome. Nayumi. Listen, I’m grateful for your help, but it’s time I stepped in and spoke to Tsuji and Marcellus.” The disciplinarian reached into his pocket, took out his wallet, and gave her some money. “Here. Take this and go to the shopping center with Rowena or whatever. I need the house with them alone.”  
  
“Okay.” Nayumi quickly left the living room and went upstairs. Noel sat there in silence, waiting for something to happen. Minutes later, Rowena and Nayumi came down, said goodbye, and left the house. Noel rose, getting himself ready, when he heard the full-body mirror ping. “Uh-oh.” A personal call from Lord Death. Those were never good. He hurried over and tapped the mirror. “What’s the matter, Lord Death?”  
  
“I’m sorry to disturb you, Noel, but I need Tsuji and Marcellus to report here.”  
  
_“Oh, the timing.”_ Noel raked his hand down his face, trying not to make any sounds that’d voice his frustration. “Can it wait for a few minutes?”  
  
“No, it can’t. You remember those unknown entities that appeared in Holland?” Lord Death’s tone dropped to show how serious he was. “They’re back, and they’ve claimed innocent lives as well. For this type of mission, your son and Marcellus are exactly who we need.”  
  
Noel slumped and abstained from groaning. Unfortunately, all he could do was pray for their safety and hope they could talk later. “I’ll get them. They’ll be right there.”  
  


* * *

  
Tsuji and Marcellus walked in the Death Room. For some reason, the room looked dimmer than usual. Probably because it still wasn't noon yet. When they settled themselves on the platform, Lord Death spoke, “Thank you for coming on such short notice. This is something of an emergency.”  
  
“What sort of emergency?” Marcellus asked. He was curious as to why he and Tsuji specifically needed to go.  
  
“Last night, Chicago Police Department officers and other humans were found dead at the outskirts of the city. Their cars were completely wrecked. The attacker took their souls too. From the eyewitness accounts I was given, it appears those monsters from Holland are back.”  
  
“But _Chicago_?” Marcellus groaned in disdain. Duty or not, that was the last part of the world he wanted to visit.  
  
Lord Death held up a hand to silence him. “Do not worry. I formulated a plan as soon as I heard about this. I won’t repeat the same mistake on Cobra Island. And, Marcellus, you know the area more than anyone else. So, our best option is to send out you two.”  
  
Marcellus removed his lollipop from his mouth. He disliked arguing, but this was a matter he felt strongly about. “Lord Death, I don’t know if you’re aware that—”  
  
“I am,” the Death God interjected, “Marcellus Ardsen, son of Don Portis Ardsen and Master Morgan de Niro. Noel told me everything.” Seeing the African-American hang his head, Lord Death reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’m not about to put you in that kind of danger. You’ll have some help from the Academy’s best tracker. Even better, the site of the attack happened nowhere close to gang territory.” The older teen looked up, surprised, and Lord Death wished he could give him a warm smile. “Yes, I’ve done my research.”  
  
Marcellus put his lollipop back in his mouth. “Oh. Um. Well then.”  
  
Tsuji fidgeted in his spot, drumming his fingers on his crossed arms. _“Oh, man. Just when I decided to take a break. Lord Death needs me. I want to believe what he says, but who knows how this’ll really turn out. This is…”_ Tsuji shook his head to rid himself of the bad thoughts. _“No. I can’t be selfish.”_ His inaction potentially could doom defenseless people to something worse than what he experienced. If he was the best for the job, then so be it. _“I’ll take it easy after this. I’ll rock this mission so good anyone can follow up.”_  
  
The archer unfolded his arms and looked at his partner. “Wanna give it a shot?”  
  
Marcellus took a deep breath and exhaled. There wasn’t really much else to say. “I mean, the headmaster here is asking a favor out of us. We can’t leave him hanging.” The Demon Bow looked at Lord Death and nodded with finality. “We’re going, sir.”  
  
Lord Death clapped his hands together. “Goodie!” He placed a hand near the lower half of his mask and called out, “You may come in now!”  
  
A relatively tall and rather well physically built man came in, sipping a cup of coffee. “It’s about time you guys refreshed your stock of Uncle Bob’s Rumba Coffee. That other stuff on the shelf was gross.”  
  
Marcellus quirked his brow, facing the man. “People actually drink Uncle Bob’s Coffee?”  
  
“ _How dare you_!” The man exploded, prompting Tsuji and Marcellus to flee behind Lord Death for cover. “Uncle Bob’s Rumba Coffee is the best there is! The right blend of rich coffee beans and everything!” His normally closed eyes cracked open into a narrow glare, making both boys shrink in fear. “Don’t ever insinuate people don’t drink it.”  
  
Tsuji slowly moved from behind Lord Death. “‘K, dude. Don’t kick the shit outta us.”  
  
Lord Death laughed heartily, glad to see him act normally. “Boys, this here is Joe Buttataki, an Internal Affairs investigator. He will be helping you track down the creatures.”  
  
“He’s not gonna make us drink coffee on the way there, right?” Tsuji asked, glancing at Joe. “My dad banned me from drinking coffee.”  
  
“No, of course not,” Joe replied, calmer and more unassuming. “There’s actually some stuff we need to go over before we arrive in Chicago. We’ll be doing that on the flight there.”  
  
“With that, gentlemen, please grab your weather-appropriate gear and head out.” Lord Death flashed a peace sign. “I’m depending on you, you know!”  
  


* * *

  
  
Once they settled into their plane ride, Joe called a meeting with Marcellus and Tsuji. He was holding a blue cube in his hand. “I think this guy will be able to explain things better than I will.” A holographic projection appeared on top of the device. It showed Francis wearing a dark blue suit and pants with a white ruffled shirt.  
  
Tsuji recognized him. “Oh. You’re Claudia’s uncle. The one who flew us home.”  
  
“That’s correct. My name is Francis Moncharmin. I’m an Oceania Technology Development Adviser.”  
  
“All right, Francis,” Marcellus leaned back in his seat, propping up a leg, “Tell us what you know about those things from Holland? What are we getting ourselves into?”  
  
“Right. Azusa, colleagues, and I studied the grey soul from Holland as well as something calling itself ‘Gilgamesh,’ and we reached a disturbing conclusion.” The hologram of Francis gave them a stern look. “They aren’t natural.”  
  
“Not natural?” Tsuji parroted, “You mean like man-made?”  
  
“Precisely. We can say that with confidence because both entities had a common ingredient, Magic.”  
  
Marcellus reared his head back with a groan. “Oh great. The work of a witch is at hand.”  
  
“We think so as well. We’re still trying to determine what type of Magic is being used however. Until then, it’s best to simply hold on to the souls of these creatures, not eat them.”  
  
“There is also another issue,” Joe spoke up, “and that’s how easily detectable these souls are. Can a regular Meister use Soul Perception to find them like most Kishin Eggs and Evil Humans? Or do they possess a workaround like Witches to stay hidden?” Joe looked at Marcellus. “That’s why the both of us are here. Your Wavelength Sonar can detect presences. My Super Soul Perception can determine the type of soul. Between the two of us, we can figure some things out.”    
  
“Got it.”  
  
“That’s all there is to report, gentlemen,” Francis announced, “You’ll hear more information about them in the coming week in class. Hopefully, this mission will yield some more results.” With nothing else to talk about, Joe shut off the cube.  
  
“Dude, that’s crazy,” Tsuji remarked, shaking his head, “Someone is bringin’ in these things into the world, and we don’t know who or why.”  
  
“Not only that, there’s no connection between the locations,” Marcellus pointed out, rolling his lollipop’s stick between two fingers, “Holland? Nothing but wetlands and those windmills. Chicago? One of the biggest cities in the U.S. and the battleground between two of the strongest gangs in America.”  
  
“Whoever is behind their creation is certainly trying to mimic the erratic behavior of Kishin Eggs and Evil Humans,” Joe said, crossing his bulky arms. He pondered over what they just talked about and something came to mind. “Wait. Did you say something about gangs?”  
  
“Uh, yeah? What about it?”  
  
“Explain.”  
  
Hoping this information was being used for the greater good, Marcellus recalled everything he knew from his past life. “Okay, see, there are two gangs stationed in Chicago. The first is the Chicago Underground Association, or the Chicago Gang. It acts more akin to a mafia than an actual gang. They are represented by the color blue and a tattoo of a scarab beetle. The second is their rival, the Other Side Gang. You ask me, they’re the shadier ones. Red is their color of choice, and gangsters mark themselves with a fiery barcode tattoo.”  
  
“No, that’s enough. In fact…” Joe manipulated the cube more and it displayed the image of the crime scene, mainly black and red clothing strewn on the ground. “You said the Other Side Gang uses red, right? Like this?”  
  
“Yeah, that’s it.” Marcellus casted a pointed gaze towards the investigator. “So where are you getting at with this?”  
  
“I’m only grasping for straws here, but other than the crime scene, we have to find places to search,” Joe reasoned, turning the cube off once again, “Suppose we come up with nothing substantial at the crime scene. Now we have the whole city to worry about. Instead, let’s narrow things down.”  
  
Tsuji caught on to the older man’s train of thoughts. “You wanna look for the things at gang territories?”  
  
“NO!” Marcellus slammed his fist on the armrest, Joe and Tsuji flinching from away the irate Weapon.  
  
“Dang, Marcellus.” Tsuji looked sympathetically at this partner. “I know that's the last place you want to visit, but we're doing this for Lord Death.”  
  
“I know, but...” Sighing in frustration, Marcellus refused to look at either of them. “I just don't want to be bothered. Our first lead should be enough.”  
  
Joe leaned over and placed his fist on Marcellus’s chest. He still sensed the fluctuation in Marcellus’s wavelength. “You're lying.”  
  
Sputtering in surprise, Marcellus jerked away from Joe. “H-Hey, I didn't consent to a lie detector test!”  
  
Joe returned to a normal position, expression still neutral as ever. “No, but it might do you some good to air out some things. Talking about your true feelings is therapeutic after all.”  
  
The former gangster raised his voice, “You don’t understand!” Despite his feelings, the words started to flow out against his will. “Everyone expected me to succeed Portis and run a criminal organization for the rest of my life! My life was decided for me when I was born and I hated my lack of freedom. I lived with the threat of death hanging over my head from Other Side gangsters wanting to shank or shoot me and the threat of imprisonment if a police officer found out who I was!” Marcellus slumped into his seat, his brownish-orange hair falling over his eyes like a curtain. “No law, no order, just crime and no punishment. Hanging around with people I didn’t even know if I could fully trust. But, at the same time, it’s all I knew.”  
  
Marcellus remembered how miserable his life in the Chicago Gang was. Spending long hours after school just to reduce the time at home and occasionally wearing fake smiles. “I had no hope if I stayed but no courage to leave. Hell, I know for a fact Portis and Morgan haven’t stopped searching. And, every day, I feel as if they are getting closer. Now, to hear, after all this time, I have to go right back there?”  
  
He reared his head back against the seat’s headrest, imagining myself staring at the clouds instead of the airplane ceiling. “I’ve been messed up since we got from Cobra Island. Medusa may be a total psychopath, but she was Crona’s mother. I abandoned the only family I will ever have. I shouldn’t feel like this, it was my choice after all, yet I do. I hate it. I—”  
  
“Ran away from your problems.” Tsuji and Joe recited at the same time. With a quiet gasp, Marcellus exchanged shocked looks between the two. That sounded too natural. Like they had experience.  
  
Tsuji stared at his partner long and hard, never once faltering. “You ran away instead of dealing with them head-on.”  
  
Marcellus wondered if this had to do with what happened on Cobra Island. He was curious but never pried because that wasn’t him. He returned the look to the archer.  “Tell me more. I’ve aired out mine, it’s common courtesy for you to do the same.”  
  
Tsuji chuckled wryly. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. All right, check this…”  
  


* * *

  
  
_It was five o’clock PM in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The day winding down, people went home from work to enjoy their evenings. At the Ricardsen home at the outskirts of town, Noel sat at his dining room table, watching the food cook and waiting for his wife to return home.  
  
Soon, the front door flew open. “I'm hooooome, my lovelies!” Standing up, Noel saw his wife, Rosalind, prance in to the kitchen. Her light green apple hair – long, wild, and unkempt – was tied into a high ponytail by a black ribbon. She had a set of risen bangs framing her royal blue eyes. She wore a navy blue businesswoman’s outfit, complete with tights, flats, and a white dress shirt.  
  
“Keep it down. The kids are asleep,” Noel said, crossing his arms.  
  
Rosalind paused and covered her mouth. She then lowered her voice. “Sorry. Little tykes must've tuckered themselves out.” She walked over to her husband and gave him a brief kiss. “How you doing, Noel? You had a great day?”  
  
He shrugged his shoulders. “If watching the kids and the house constitutes a great day, then yes. I'm swell.”  
  
She frowned and tugged at her own hair in frustration. “Ugh! Why are you always—” The scent of meat wafted to her nose and she immediately spotted dinner, almost done. “Oh my God, you cooked my favorite dinner! I-love-you!” She threw herself at Noel, wrapped her arms around him, and smothered him with kisses.  
  
Noel stared dully off to the side as Rosalind expressed her gratitude, mumbling under his breath, “I knew that’d shut her up...”  
  
Noel took dinner off the stove and served Rosalind her plate, saving some for the children when they woke up. The woman greedily ate her meatballs and noodles, saving her vegetables for last. After downing her cup of soda, she remember something, “Hey, when are Clorinda and her sis Yvette supposed to come by?”  
  
“Soon,” Noel answered, barely finished with one stick of meatballs, “They're on their way. I just talked to them.”  
  
Rosalind flashed a toothy grin, glancing at the clock. “Sweet. Made it home right on schedule.” Because she worked a 9-5 job, the woman was glad to see other people besides her coworkers, especially her family and family friends.  
  
Meanwhile, 10-year-old Tsuji and Rowena napped soundly in their bedroom. In their dream, someone familiar spoke to them, their mother saying goodbye for work. They found themselves walking along the sidewalk. They felt hands on their heads, their caring father. Children played. The skies turned red. People came and went. The sun set like normal. The shadows rose.  
  
Everyone was gone.  
  
Eyes snapping open, the twins woke with a start to see a dark shadow hovering above them. Heart pounding in theirs ears, they tried to scream.  
  
“H-Help....”  
  
“W-What... is this?”  
  
Their voices hoarse with fear, they could only watch as two mouths opened right in their faces. The smell of rot filled their noses. Tears streamed down their faces, and sobs choked out in intervals.  
  
“G-Go a-a-away...”  
  
“M-Mom... D-Dad...”  
  
The monster seized the children with its claws, lifting them off their beds. But as quickly as it did, it dropped the twins. The creature’s body was split in half, each part collapsing on the floor. Mouths stretched into smiles, it made a sound of relief before it dematerialized into a Kishin Egg Soul.  
  
Standing there was Rosalind, the flames of anger surging like a storm in her eyes. She gripped her weapon, a shield, with excessive tightness. The shield was grey and black, and five spikes on top were tipped with the now-dead monster’s blood. Rosalind flicked the Weapon off of her arm, allowing Noel to become human again. She let Tsuji latch onto him for comfort. “Okay, who is the dead bastard who sent that thing after my babies?”  
  
Noel cared to Rowena. “Rosalind. Language around the children.”  
  
She sighed, trying to quell her own anger. “Sorry...” She then saw a fast-moving shadow from the corner of her eyes. With a gasp, she sped toward the window and saw several similar monsters scuttling away. “Son of a bitch, it wasn’t alone!”  
  
Noel hurried to her side and witnessed them retreating. At that moment, he knew this whole city could be in trouble. He turned to his partner and said, “Let's drop Tsuji and Rowena off at the neighbors. Those were definitely Kishin Eggs.”  
  
Rosalind nodded, already whipping out her cellphone. “You go ahead and call Clorinda and Yvette. Tell ‘em we got work to do!”  
  
Within minutes, Rowena and Tsuji were left a trusted neighbor’s household while their parents pursued the Kishin Eggs and presumably meet up with Clorinda and Yvette. The two sat on a living room couch, curled up into fetal positions, in total silence except for the ticking grandfather clock.  
  
Glancing at her motionless bother, Rowena finally broke the quiet. “H-Hey, bro?”  
  
“Yeah?” His response was immediate.  
  
“Let's be Meisters.”  
  
Tsuji turned his head to her, eyes widening in shock. “W-Why?”  
  
She looked down at her still-trembling hand. This wasn’t natural, she thought. A person shouldn’t be afraid of their own skin. “I want to be like Mom and Dad and fight away the scary things.”  
  
Whereas Rowena wanted to confront them head-on, Tsuji had no intentions of getting close to those things. He scooted away from her sister, thinking she had gone insane. “B-But... You want to face those things? That one almost got us! I don't want to deal with scary things like that all the time. I couldn't handle it...”  
  
Rowena whipped toward him. “That’s why we should! So we can handle it!” She placed a hand on her chest and looked down, gritting her teeth. “That doesn't need to happen anymore...”_  
  


* * *

  
  
“Rowena was dead set on being a Meister. I wasn't even sure about it cuz I was still scared.” At this point, Tsuji grew tired of sitting down and started pacing. “Then Old Lady got sick out of nowhere and kicked the bucket three years later. I remember crying my eyes out. We were close.” He stopped and grinned at Marcellus. “Heh. Betcha didn't know I was a big crybaby back in the day, huh? Then we met you and Nayumi, got to Death City, and trained. Once I kept gettin’ better, I thought, 'Man, I’m the shit. I can shoot anything however I want whenever I want.’”  
  
Tsuji mimicked locking a lock near his head. “Locked all that fear and memories in the back of my mind and threw away the key. Then Medusa came, cursed me, and brought all that back. Now here I am, doubting myself and all messed up in the head like you are.”  
  
Marcellus removed his lollipop, staring somberly at his meister. “Dang, Tsuji. I didn’t know it was like that.”  
  
“But you two can make things better,” Joe suddenly spoke. The two turned their attention to him. Joe had been surprisingly quiet all this time, listening to their stories. “You two were just children when this happened and didn’t know better, so you stuck with something that worked at the time. Now it’s been compromised. That’s ok. The mistakes we make as children and teenagers will eventually come back to haunt us, to test how mature we are in the future.”  
  
Joe remembered when his Super Soul Perception started developing. It grew so powerful, Joe suspected he would see right through people and miss the person itself. He thought it was a disaster waiting to happen, so he cut off the greatest relationship he ever had out of paranoia. Now, older and wiser, Joe regretted it all. He wasn’t going to let Tsuji and Marcellus make a similar mistake. “You have your whole lives ahead of you. Don’t let this weigh you down. You’re part of the DWMA. You have the strength and heart to confront your problems and move on with the great lives you probably have.”  
  
Neither boys replied. They sat in silence, letting Joe’s words of wisdom sink into their minds. The rest of the flight was a quiet one.  
  


* * *

  
  
Joe, Tsuji, and Marcellus arrived in Chicago late afternoon. Using a rental car, Joe began the drive down to the scene of the attack. Midway there, he fished out the same cubical device from before. It opened up to reveal the Anria Soul from the Holland mission. “Get a feel of the wavelength, Marcellus.”  
  
“On it.”  
  
Tsuji, in the backseat, stared at the grey soul and mused, “Big LD musta been up all night developing this plan on such short notice.”  
  
Once they reached the outskirts of the city, Marcellus and Joe activated their sensory powers. Neither of them sensed anything out of the ordinary, prompting Joe to slow down the vehicle. “Hm. Looks like they don’t clean up their tracks,” Joe observed.  
  
Suddenly, police sirens blared and several squad cars raced past Joe. “Hmm. Wonder what’s that about.” Curious, Joe focused his Soul Perception towards the direction of the police. There was a cluster of souls not too far away, but for some reason, by a particular one was a faint wavelength. “Marcellus, see if you can pinpoint anything down that road.”  
  
Quickly shifting gears, Marcellus told him what appeared on his Wavelength Sonar. “Looks like a group of people, probably police, having a standoff against… two others, I think.”  
  
“That’s not what I’m picking up,” Joe stated, pressing into his foot into the pedal to accelerate the car, “One of those two you probably see isn’t giving off a human wavelength. In fact, it distinctly feels like this soul here.”  
  
Tsuji narrowed his eyes, knowing what they meant. “We found our target.”  
  
“You’re right on the money.”  
  
Breaking all speed limits, Joe reached the destination of the commotion. The area was alit with the flashing blue lights of police vehicles. Marcellus transformed into his Default Form, but before Joe or Tsuji exited the car, a thrown squad car flew over them.  
  
“What was that?!” Marcellus exclaimed.  
  
Getting out of the car, they saw an Anria. Its main body was streamlined with a single eye upon a crown of rocky spikes on its shoulders. One of its eight, stalk-like legs with humanlike hands crushed the front of another car as the officer scurried out. Gunfire rang throughout the premises, but the bullets bounced off the Anria’s earthy skin.  
  
Sitting atop the rampaging Anria, like a king heading to battle on horseback, was Marlon, cackling sinisterly at the law enforcement’s futile efforts. “Come! Come at me!” A sneer appeared on the man’s face, recalling his meeting with Portis and the aftermath. “Me? _Me_?! How dare they speak to me in such a manner! I can’t even walk around the territory without somebody mocking me! Argh, those fools! Well, I’ll show them.” A few officers took aim at Marlon, but the Anria swatted them aside. Marlon chuckled. “I’ll make them remember who I am, starting by ruling this city through fear! And then using this Anria to execute all of the Other Side Gang’s Executives. Kujira, Myke, all of them!”  
  
An arrow whizzed by, striking the Anria right in its back. The creature released a hollow roar, jerking backwards and throwing Marlon off. Tsuji stood in front of Joe’s rental car, relaxing from his position. “Not today, pal.”  
  
Threatened, the Anria scurried away like an insect in danger. Tsuji took aim, but it was gone by the time he readied an arrow. “Damn, that thing’s quick!”  
  
“Don’t worry. I got a lock on it,” Marcellus announced, “As long as it doesn’t escape into a concentrated area, we can chase it down.”  
  
As the police swarmed a thrashing Marlon and took him into custody, Joe showed its DWMA badge to the leading officer. “Keep that man at your station until I drop by. We’re going to pursue that thing.” With that said, Joe and Tsuji rushed back to the car and drove off.  
  
The pursuit eventually led them to the port area, an esoteric district not visited by the normal population. This setting was all too familiar to Marcellus. His reflection appeared on the crystal ball of his weapon form, his expression unreadable. “Here we are. Chicago Gang territory. It retreated here.”  
  
“Can I keep driving or do we have to walk?”  
  
“Go on. Just try not to attract attention.”  
  
Slowing down to a steady stroll, Joe drove right into gang territory. Apartment buildings stood on all sides like one would expect near a major college campus. Scanning the area side-to-side, Joe took note of the lack of people, the only sounds being the rental car. “It’s emptier than I expected.”  
  
“Most put on civilian clothes, hides their colors and tattoos, and go out for the evening,” Marcellus explained, “All business, unless behind-the-scenes, is done during the day. Police are more active at night. Plus, this is just the outer catacombs. Apartments and residences act as an outer shell to conceal the territory itself.” It was exactly like he remembered, an oppressive environment that felt like a prison more than anything else. Shaking his head, he refocused on the task at hand; the sooner this was done, the better.  
  
That’s when Joe slammed on the brakes, the tires screeching, as he turned around in his seat, his normally closed eyes opening up. “ _It’s behind_ —”  
  
One of the Anria’s leg broke through the passenger-side window, grabbed Tsuji, and pulled him out. Joe’s call and Tsuji’s screaming were drowned out by the loud roar of the Anria as it jumped and slammed the boy into the ground. The concrete broke instantly and both of them fell through the newly formed hole.  
  
After what seemed to be an eternity, the Bow Meister hit solid ground. “ _Ow_! Son of a bitch, that hurt!” He rolled onto all fours and spat up blood.  
  
“Tsuji, you OK? Sheesh, that happened so quickly!” By the time his eyes adjusted to the lack of light, the Demon Bow saw nothing but moving grey lights dotting the darkness. His jaw dropped at the same time as his heart. “Dude. Don’t look.”  
  
He looked anyway and rose to his feet in surprise. “Whoa, what the?!” Growling and snarling filled the room. Once his eyes fully acclimated to the darkness, Tsuji found himself in the middle of an underground containment room. Multiple Anria stirred in their cells, all hungrily eyeing the human. “As freaky as this is, we hit the jackpot.” Tsuji removed his cellphone and took all the pictures he could, putting it away once he was done. As he did, something came to mind. “Wait. Where’s—”  
  
The stalk-legged Anria came out of nowhere and tackled Tsuji into the ground. The creature opened its mouth and tried to bite off part of the Bow Meister, but Tsuji placed his bow between its jaws to stop it.  
  
Black miasma poured onto Marcellus’s weapon form, and he could see nothing but a black void beyond the rows of teeth. “ _Oh, this is so unsanitary_! _Do something already_!”  
  
Tsuji freed his other hand, pulled back the bowstring, and fired a single arrow right down the Anria’s gullet. The entity screeched and staggered backwards, making coughing noises as Tsuji shot back to his feet. “Eat arrows, ugly!” He shouted, firing in rapid succession. The Anria jumped over them, attached itself the ceiling, and crawled along it and the walls. Tsuji gritted his teeth, keeping it occupied. “It ain’t lettin’ me hit it!”  
  
“Take out the legs!”  
  
“Great idea. Crossbow Form!” After a few manual adjustments, Marcellus transformed into a crossbow. This time, the crystal ball was mounted on a silver and dark blue mechanical stock. In place of the limbs was a boomerang-shaped blade. “Have some of this!” Swinging his arm, he sent out the blade as it spun and whirred like a buzzsaw. Seeing it coming, the Anria sidestepped. When it prepared to charge, the buzzsaw boomeranged back, slicing off a row of its legs.  
  
Smirking, Tsuji caught the blade and Mode Changed the weapon back into its Default Form. “You’re done for.” An arrow met the Anria’s eye, its body instantly dissolving and leaving behind an Anria Soul. Tsuji walked over and pocketed it. “I believe that's mission accomplished—”  
  
A gun went off, Tsuji recoiling once the bullet hit his shoulder. He fell to the ground, dropping his Weapon, and gripped his wound, blood rapidly soaking the fabric of his winter coat.  
  
“Oh my God, Tsuji!” Marcellus yelled out. Before he reverted back to human, he heard several footsteps. He looked to see Clarke and a few gangsters casually entering the containment room. “Oh, no…”  
  
“Therein lies the shortcoming of bows and arrows,” Clarke said, blowing out the smoke from his gun, “I’m sorry, little boy, but can’t anything match up to the power and speed of a rifle. Time to get out of the dark ages, boy, and upgrade.”  
  
Tsuji growled and shot a glare at the Chicago Gang members, the pain fueling his anger. “Take that gun and go shoot yourself!” The adrenaline started to pump through his body, giving him the strength to sit up, pick up his bow, and stand. “Archery takes far more skill than pointing and clicking! And it’s a much more respectable sport! Shitty guns don’t even compare! So don’t you _dare_ diss it!”  
  
Clarke fired his gun once more, shooting Tsuji in his bicep. He chuckled at the boy’s scream of pain. “Too bad it’s not doing squat to help you now.”  
  
“Clarke,” a gangster drawled, irritation lacing her voice, “Why don’t you just shoot him dead already?”  
  
Clarke looked at her over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow in confusion. “What? Can’t play with him a little? He’s an intruder after all. I have to send a message.” He saw her and a few others glare disapprovingly at him. “All right! All right! Firing squad style, everyone.”  
  
The cocking of guns filled Tsuji’s and Marcellus’s ears. _“Th-They’re gonna kill him.”_ The latter thought, color leaving his face. His mind raced to figure out a way to get them out of this situation, but he couldn’t think straight.  
  
Tsuji shot back to his feet, but he froze up when he found himself staring down the barrel of several guns. He wanted to move, but his legs felt ten times heavier and his heart ran. The fear began to play tricks on his mind – the Kishin Egg that nearly killed him replaced the gangsters’ faces and visions of him being shot and fed to the Anria flashed before him.  
  
This was it. A little more than a month after his first day, and he was going to die in a hole where nobody could find him.  
  
No one could save him, not even the powerless Marcellus pleading him to do something.    
  
As Clarke and the others readied their trigger fingers, Tsuji hoped this would be quick and painless and that everyone at home wouldn’t feel too bad.  
  
The minute his despair hit the nadir, he saw red and power flowed through him.  
  
“ _Nooooooo_!” Marcellus screamed, covering his eyes as the guns went off simultaneously. Deafening silence followed, but instead of a body hitting the ground, shocked gasps were heard. Gulping thickly, Marcellus cracked an eye open and released one of his own.  
  
Tsuji dodged them all.  
  
Orange energy flaring around his body, the boy lifted his head. Two bullets were wedged between his now sharpened teeth, two in particular sticking out like vampire fangs. He spat them out and glared at his would-be killers, full of anger and hatred. He no longer had chartreuse eyes, but glowing orange ones with broad black rims around them, pupils a perfect slit. All on black sclera.  
  
Rifles shook in Clarke’s and the others’ grips, unable to find the strength to pull the triggers again. Relief washed through Marcellus as he stared up to his partner, his killing intent making the orange energy blaze like a wildfire. He recognized this same wavelength back on Cobra Island. Now that he saw it in its full splendor, it was even more familiar.  
  
“The Enchanted Eyes.”


	38. The Enchanted Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the discovery of Anria in Chicago will forever change the game in the ongoing struggle between Death Weapon Meister Academy and Novus Partus. Meanwhile, Tsuji unlocks something that will forever change both him and Marcellus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.
> 
> OK, so this one didn't take a week like the last two. An unexpected test claimed most of my attention. I aim to bring a faster update to get myself back on track.

**The Enchanted Eyes**  
  
Tsuji looked at the palm of his hand as it brimmed with a Demonic Wavelength, then down at the bullets he had spat out, and finally at Clarke and the Chicago Gangsters who trembled in shock and fear. _“It’s a surprise to me too.”_ He admitted to himself. All of that fear, that hopelessness, he felt just seconds ago was gone. The power of the Enchanted Eyes surged through him like the adrenaline.   
  
A shriek broke the silence, Tsuji looking to see one of the gangsters regain control of his wits. He fired a single shot right at Tsuji’s head. The boy saw it coming as he stared on with mild amusement. _“I remember bullets being a little faster than that… You’re not exactly supposed to—SHIT!”_  
  
Tsuji arched his back in time to avoid the bullet as it skimmed his forehead, slicing off some of his bangs. “Don’t do that!” Marcellus cried out, heart still pounding and palms growing sweatier, “If you can dodge them, just dodge! Don’t stand there until the last second!”  
  
“Sorry!” Tsuji reached back, placed one hand on the ground, and corrected himself. “You don’t understand. It almost feels like I’m in a different body!’ Suddenly, his instincts alerted him to danger. Looking over, he saw the gangsters getting ready to shoot all at once again. Noticing he was near the hole, Tsuji jumped up and went into it. The underground room shook as the gangsters emptied their guns at the entrance to the hole, Tsuji hanging on and waiting until they realized they couldn’t hit him. Once he heard the triggers click but no bullets fly, he called out, “Your sorry-ass guns can’t do jack to me now!” With a mocking laugh, he bounded off the walls until he reached the surface again.  
  
Clarke growled, whipped to the direction of the stairs, and started running. “Chase him down! Don’t let him leave!”  
  
Right around the time Joe prepared to radio in for backup, Tsuji emerged from the hole and landed beside him. “Didn’t miss me for too long, did you?”  
  
Joe faced the boy, shoulders slumping in relief. “About time you showed up. I feared the worst.” Besides the Enchanted Eyes, the investigator took note of the bullets in Tsuji’s arm. “W-what happened?!”  
  
Marcellus glanced all around, expecting enemy reinforcements to swarm in anytime. “Uh, yeah, about that… We need to bail. Like now. We got evidence, but we need to leave _now_.”  
  
Joe nodded, sensing the urgency in the Demon Bow’s voice. “Get in the car. We’re going straight to the hospital.”  
  
“ _Get back here, you little punk_!”   
  
A gangster emerged from a nearby alleyway, Clarke and the others not too far behind. Joe grabbed Tsuji by his good arm and pushed him towards the rental vehicle. “Hurry! In the car!” The meister doing what he was told, Joe rushed at the gangster, reared back his fist, and punched him dead in his face. The gangster flew back, landing on Clarke and the rest, all of them tumbling to the ground.   
  
“Now that’s what I call whacking the living daylights out of people.” Pulling out his revolver in case anything worse decided to show up, Joe entered the driver’s seat, turned on the car, and floored the petal. The screeching of tires echoed as Joe drove down the road at high speeds.   
  
Setting his bow down, Tsuji gripped his wound to stop the bleeding, looking out the back window. “You think they’ll chase us?” After Joe rounded a turn get on the road parallel to the pier, bikers and two cars appeared right behind them. “Answered that question.”  
  
Joe rolled down his window and fired his revolver twice. One bullet each struck the front tire of a motorbike, causing the bikers to swerve into each other. A third gangster behind them couldn’t avoid the collision and fell with them. Seeing a passenger in one of the cars taking aim, Joe ducked back into the car, bullets ricocheting off its hull and breaking the rearview mirror. “These guys are persistent!” Joe focused on the road ahead, ducking his head in case someone shot through the back window.   
  
Tsuji glimpsed the sunroof and got an idea. “Joe, open that sunroof. I’ll settle this now!”   
  
“How!?”  
  
“Don’t worry,” Marcellus reassured, “He’s got this. Just watch and be amazed.”   
  
The back window shattered, both males covering their heads. The rental car veered from left to right as Joe tried to regain control of it and keep himself safe. All the while, Clarke audibly barked out the orders to keep shooting. _“Who knows how much firepower they have? This car won’t last.”_ Joe thought. That was all the convincing he needed. He slammed his hand on the dashboard to open the sunroof.   
  
“Your show, Tsuji,” Marcellus cued.   
  
Tsuji took a deep breath. Gripping his weapon tighter, Tsuji’s Demonic Wavelength forced its way into the Demon Weapon. Marcellus recoiled, feeling the power flow through him. _“W-Whoa!”_ Red and black hellfire engulfed Marcellus’s Default Form. When it died down, a red and orange modern recurve bow remained. Pulling back the bowstring, an arrow of compressed Demonic Wavelength formed.   
  
_Understand nothing can stop you with this power. Embrace it. Let it empower you._   
  
Clarke saw shuffling inside the car and Tsuji poked out of the sunroof, bow at the ready. “There you are.” He switched to a gun designed to blow someone’s face clean off as he leaned out of the driver-side window.   
  
Tsuji beat him to the draw.  
  
An orange arrow speeding over, Clarke dropped his gun, irises disappearing into the whites of his eyes. The arrow split Clarke’s car in half and lodged itself into the engine of one trailing behind. The port lit up as the cars exploded, all gangsters involved in the chase caught in the mushroom of fire and smoke. Joe slammed on the brakes, turning the car so he could watch the aftermath. “Well, I guess that settles that.”  
  
The Bow Meister looked down at his hand again. He did that. To the people he that scared him out of his wits seconds ago. They feared _him_ instead.   
  
_Nothing can stop you anymore_  
  
A grin slowly stretched across Tsuji’s face, showing all of his sharpened teeth. “A guy could get used to this.” Like someone flipping a switch, the Enchanted Eyes deactivated and the bow returned to normal. Tsuji collapsed back into seat, finally passing out. Marcellus reverted to a human form, taking a seat in the backseat. Joe shook his head and drove off, calling the hospital so Tsuji could get checked on.  
  
From the shadows, watching the car disappear over the horizon, Left and Right stepped out, arms folded across the small of their backs. The loss of men and women seemed of no concern to them as they stared out into the darkening sky.   
  
“I am under the impression you witnessed it all, Right.” Left spoke in a low monotone.   
  
“Indeed, Left,” Right replied in a similar voice, “As you and I have served this organization for the longest, all kin does not escape our notice.”  
  
Left stood still. “Yes, Right. There was no mistaken. That voice. That weapon form.”  
  
Right looked at the object he found minutes after he and his twin arrived. It was Tsuji’s Student I.D. “So that is where Marcellus ran off to. Death Weapon Meister Academy.”   
  
“Indeed, Right.”   
  
The twin henchmen turned around, hoping they could call a brief summit to inform their bosses. “It appears our search may be over.”   
  


* * *

  
  
“ _Cancer_!”  
  
Henderson trailing behind, Kujira stormed into Cancer’s sanctuary, her navy eyes glowing and face taut with anger. Cancer acknowledged her with a brief glance over her shoulder before going back to welding, not noticing how mad she was. With a growl, Kujita stomped over to her younger sister, grabbed her by the shoulder, and pulled her away from her work to claim her undivided attention.    
  
“You promise me and Boss nobody from the Other Side Gang would get hurt!” She shouted, pointing a finger in Cancer’s face.   
  
The crab witch took off her welding mask, her expression emotionless as always. “Pardon me?”  
  
Kujira removed a crumbled-up newspaper and presented the front cover to Cancer. The picture clearly showed the garbs of Other Side gangsters among the men ‘mysteriously’ attacked. “Explain yourself!”  
  
Cancer stared at the newspaper for a few seconds before looking Kujira dead in her eyes. “You should be thanking me. Now, the DWMA will have to investigate the Chicago Underground Association. All crossfires are henceforth squarely on them.” Kujira fumed as Henderson gasped silently, the latter shocked to see Cancer uncaring that she went against her word. Sure, he understood the attack was supposed to catalyze a chain of events, but still.  
  
Kujira threw the newspaper in a random direction, hands balling up. The intense glow never left her eyes. She glared at Cancer over the rim of her glasses. “And what makes you so sure Portis won’t rat you out, huh? That damn gang is all he has and all he cares for!”  
  
Cancer cradled her scarfed arm, suppressing a yawn. “I made it painfully clear to him that is not an option.” She raised an eyebrow at Kujira, unable to empathize with her right now. “I do not understand your anger, Neptune. Is this not what you wanted? This marks the beginning of the end for your leader’s rival.”  
  
“That’s not the point!” Kujira reached out and grabbed a fistful of her shirt, teeth gnashed together. “You gave your word and your broke it! Have you no honor?!”  
  
Cancer released an irritated sigh, feeling a headache coming on. “Must we discuss about that? Sacrifices are necessary to put certain things in motion.” She narrowed her eyes; for the first time since the disagreement began, they glowed. “Besides, my only desire is to acquire the products I need to further Project Omega. Instead, I must waste my time and my Anria taking part in this roundabout scheme.”  
  
Kujira’s free hand shook with the desire to strike Cancer, but she let her go and turned her back to her. “You’re just like mother.” She walked away a little, still feeling the urge to attack. “To hell with everyone else, huh? Only Project Omega matters.”  
  
Cancer sneered, her own anger starting to rise. “Project Omega represents all that the Lucrenian Clan stands for. I do not appreciate you speaking ill of it.”  
  
Kujira whipped around and knocked over several beakers and equipment, the glass shattering and the metal clattering. “ _The goddamn Lucrenian Clan is gone, Cancer_! _It’s just us_!” She roared, all of the noise echoing in the otherwise silent sanctuary.   
  
The two sisters stood there, glaring at each other dead in one another’s eyes. “You tell me that after impassionedly lecturing me about honor?” Cancer responded, still managing to keep her voice at its usual, soulless tone. “It is clear to me you no longer have honor towards your heritage. You have sold yourself out to that filthy band of criminals.”   
  
“And you have sold your _soul_ …” She jabbed a finger to Project Omega’s soul floating in its tube. “To that thing stuck in that jar. You’re worse than mother. At least she still cared about _someone_ , namely you.” Tired of being in the same room as her, Kujira stormed out. “No more Other Side Gang causalities or you’ll regret it.”  
  
The automatic doors shut behind Kujira, leaving Cancer and Henderson by themselves. The Lucrenian took a deep breath and exhaled sharply. Henderson, at a loss for words, desperately looked around for something to do. Spotting the mess Kujira made in her outburst, he went to it.  
  
“I will take care of that, Henderson,” Cancer suddenly said, picking up her welding mask. She spoke more quietly than usual, “Leave me at once.”  
  
Henderson stopped and looked at her. “Are you certain?”  
  
“ _Leave me_ , I said.”  
  
The monster man recoiled. It wasn’t very often Cancer raised her voice. Clearing his throat to regain his composure, Henderson bowed. “Yes, Lady Cancer.” Honoring her request, he exited her sanctuary. He then saw Kujira ahead, one hand on the silver walls and staring at the floor. Cautiously, Henderson approached the woman. “Neptune? Are you well?”  
  
Kujira looked at him, eyes red with unshed tears, and offered him a wry smile. “Maybe.”  
  
“I sincerely apologize for Cancer’s behavior.” Henderson placed a hand on his heart. “If it’s any consolation, I had every intention of keeping my word to Soriano.”   
  
The older Lucrenian gave a small shrug of her shoulders, turning and putting her back against the wall. “You know, all Witches are born with the Sway of Magic, making us inclined to destroy things. Yet, we still have the free will to live, to love, and to have adventures.” She gazed back to the door that’d lead them to Cancer’s sanctuary. “But I never suspected someone would be born evil.”  
  
“Now, now, you’re just saying things in the heat of the moment,” Henderson replied. Since Cancer tended to act cold, any deviations from her normal behavior meant something affected her. Kujira’s words did not fall on deaf ears like she thought. “Forgive me if I sound noisy, but could you please elaborate about Galene? What did she do?”  
  
“She was a head researcher and one of the longest-tenured scientists working on Project Omega,” Kujira explained, slumping to the ground, “In fact, she was so concerned with her work that she neglected her relationship with Father. It led to a falling out, and Father decided to spend some time away. He took me with him because I guess he didn’t want to be alone.” She took her glasses off, resting her chin in her hand, elbow on her propped knee. “Little did we know, it was Period of Destruction central on Earth. He was killed at the villa we stayed in, and I blamed everything on Galene. We never reconciled, so she grew more attached to Cancer.”  
  
Comprehending the information he was given, Henderson figured out that the Lucrenian Clan Incident happened during the Period of Destruction. Cupping his chin, the monster man wondered how long did the Lucrenian Clan work on Project Omega. It’d explain how Cancer knew old equipment and files were in the currently inaccessible Atlantis. Tearing himself away from his thoughts, Henderson suggested, “I believe it’s best if the two of you stayed away from each other for now.”  
  
Kujira sighed and stood up. “Yes, I suppose you’re right.” She smiled at him, thankful he was here to talk to her. “You take care of her, Henderson, okay?”   
  
“I shall do my hardest.”  
  


* * *

  
  
The door to the interrogation room inside Chicago Police Department Headquarters creaked open, the guards allowing Joe entry. The investigator sampled some of his coffee and shrugged, finding it decent enough to get him through this. He sat in his chair, unconcerned that Marlon never once acknowledged him since he entered.   
  
Joe took another sip and set the mug down on the table. “All right, I’m going to ask simple questions. What was that thing you commanded earlier tonight?”  
  
Marlon’s head stayed down. “I do not know what it really is.”  
  
“Come on now.” From that sentence alone, Joe knew he’d have to change up interrogation tactics in order to wrest any shred of info from this man. “That’s like saying you’re drinking something but have no idea what’s in it.” He picked his mug again and shook up the coffee in it. “I know exactly what’s in this. Two cubes of sugar, plenty of cream.”  
  
Marlon snarled, now glowering up at Joe from beneath lowered brows. “Is that even relevant?”   
  
“Yes. Because I know you know something,” Joe said plainly, pausing to drink, “You might as well tell me now before I transfer you to Lord Death himself.”  
  
Lord Death. The only person of power who intimidated him more than either Portis or Morgan, and Marlon never even met him. Just like the last time he was in an interrogation room, he began to sweat and avoided eye contact with Joe. “My role in the Chicago Gang is to simply search for two individuals. Nothing more, nothing less.”  
  
“Drawing that sort of attention to yourself defeats that purpose, don’t you think?” Ready to put an end to this interrogation, Joe learned over and placed his fist on Marlon’s chest. “Man, your soul is trembling just as quickly as your heart is beating.” Joe plopped back into his seat. “Come on. Help me out here. I have an Academy student in the hospital getting bullets removed from his body because he was doing his job. According to the lieutenant I spoke with, you’re affiliated with the Chicago Gang. This _could_ get worse, you know.”   
  
Marlon’s teeth chattered, and his hands trembled in his handcuffs. Everything Joe implied hit him like a wrecking ball. His freedom was gone, the information was coming out of him one way or another, and Lord Death demanded answers. “Th-they’re called Anria.”   
  
“And?”  
  
“I-I’m being honest when I say that’s all I know,” Marlon stated, “You point in the right direction and the Anria take care of the rest.”  
  
“Hmm…” Joe cupped his chin and leaned back in his seat. So instead of beings bent on killing and mayhem, these creatures called Anria were artificial lifeforms with a distinct soul wavelength that followed orders. With this and the photos Tsuji took, he procured everything he needed. _“Mission accomplished.”_  
  
Downing the rest of his coffee, Joe stood up and left the room with a lazy, parting wave. “You have a nice day.”  
  


* * *

  
  
 _Month 2, Week 4, Day 1 (Monday, February 22th)_  
  
Marcellus sat in the waiting room, twiddling his fingers and tapping his foot. If he wasn’t staring at the floor, he glanced at either the clock or the door. His eyelids threatened to fall, but his concern for Tsuji overrode his urge to nap. _“He may have gotten shot in a ‘safe’ spot and barely was inconvenienced, but still…”_  
  
“Party for Mr. Ricardsen?”  
  
Marcellus’s head snapped up, seeing a nurse roll in Tsuji on a wheelchair and the hurt arm in a sling. The boy wore a bright grin on his face even after all that happened. It was a complete, refreshing change from the end of the Cobra Island mission. He looked back to normal. The older male rose from his seat and walked over, bowing his head. “I’m… happy you’re fine. I know I didn’t do much besides yell and scream.”  
  
Tsuji waved his hand dismissively. “It’s cool. If you showed yourself, those guys might’ve taken you to your folks then and there. We can’t afford that. You’re too valuable to this family, Marcellus.” He used his good arm to playfully punched Marcellus in his gut. “You’re not just my partner. You’re my bro.”  
  
Marcellus stared unblinkingly at him. “Your…?”  
  
“Yeah, you heard me.” Tsuji remembered what Marcellus talked about on the plane. He wasn’t going to claim he understood how he totally felt, but the best thing Tsuji could do was be there for him. “Blood ain’t the end-all, be-all for family, you know.”  
  
A warm, fuzzy feeling welled in Marcellus’s chest, a sensation foreign to him. He wasn’t going to lie, he perceived an emotional disconnect between him and the rest of the Ricardsens. Nayumi was really the only one he could confide in comfortably. Yet, despite that, Tsuji considered him a brother through everything. Gaze dropping, Marcellus now felt bad for acting aloof to him. “U-Uh…” He wanted to say something, but words failed him. Instead, he looked at the nurse and asked, “Is he free to go?”  
  
“Yes, he is, but, Mr. Ricardsen, I recommend letting your wound heal before you do anything else,” the nurse explained, “The doctor will transfer all data to your interim nurse at the DWMA. But to summarize, your sutures will be removed at the end of the week, clean you wound regularly, and keep down swelling with ice.”  
  
“Okay.” Tsuji was helped out of the wheelchair by his partner and gave the nurse a gracious nod.   
  
The two then followed the signs out of the inner waiting room, heading for the lobby. Marcellus walked with his hands in his pockets, thinking about the future. “Looks like we do get a bit of a break after all. That's cool. I love days where there's nothing to do.”  
  
“Yeah, but to be honest, I don't think we need that giant of a break anymore.” Tsuji caressed the arm in his sling. It sounded like he would be back in action sometime next week. He was going to insist on following that schedule. “For some reason, I feel so much more invigorated. Like a load’s been taken off my back.”  
  
Marcellus took a hand out and gestured to Tsuji’s eyes. “You don’t think it something to do with that, do you?”  
  
With that surge of power he experienced back in gang territory, Tsuji deemed himself ready to take on the world. He chuckled a little. “Probably. I'll have to ask Dad or Doc about it when we get home. Let’s hope Java Junkie is in the lobby. I wanna get home ASAP.”  
  
“Amen to that.” Marcellus fished into his jacket and removed a lollipop. Unwrapping it, he then focused intently on its bright red color. _“I picked cherry, but this is a lot brighter than I remember.”_ Shrugging his shoulders, he put it in his mouth and shuddered as the sugar ignited his pleasure senses. _“Man! I haven't had a lollipop this good in forever!”_  
  
Placing one hand on Tsuji’s shoulder, the two brothers walked into the lobby in high spirits, ready to go back home to everyone else.   
  
_This power comes with a pact  
One you may or may not regret_  
  


* * *

  
  
A projector whirring to life, Stein rolled in the front of his desk, resting his head on the back of his caster-wheel chair. “Okay, class, thank you for being patient this morning. The reason for my tardiness is because we received vital information on such short notice, and everyone in this building needs to be aware of it. It’s becoming an increasingly urgent issue.”   
  
Harvar leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms. While always a guarded individual, this news for some reason gave him a bad feeling. “What’s this about, Dr. Stein?”  
  
Stein stood from his chair and pressed a button on the projector. On the projection screen, a title screen with the word ‘Anria’ appeared on it. A few snickers rang out in the classroom; it was as crudely and hastily prepared as a grade-schooler’s work. “Today's lesson is entitled ‘Anria,’ a new class of creatures that's threatening us.”  
  
Kid steepled his fingers and narrowed his eyes. Gladiolus from Holland instantly came to mind. _“I can already tell what this is about.”_  
  
A picture of an Anria Soul appeared on-screen. “I want everyone here to memorize how this souls looks. Anria have this. Before anyone asks, yes, you can identify them by Soul Perception. However, according to intel, these souls won’t give as strong of a reading, but that’s exactly what makes them distinct. Also, Demon Weapons, do not eat these souls. Just bring them back for disposal.”  
  
 _“Good. I’d rather vomit,”_ Soul thought, remembering the one he viewed up close in Holland. Just then, he thought of something and raised his hand. “Hey, Professor, what happens if a Weapon eats it?”  
  
“We don’t know,” Stein answered, “Which is exactly why we say don’t eat them. I’d rather not study the effects on you guys.” He smiled when he saw some students stiffen in their seats. That surely got the message across. “Anyway! Let’s move on to the Anria themselves.”  
  
The next slide showed several kinds of Anria in different pictures extracted from Tsuji’s video. “It’s hard to miss these things. They have one eye, made of rocks and crystals, and are mostly grey with some green or blue. They have mouths and teeth, but you don’t want to see them.”   
  
“For simplicity’s sake, we categorized Anria based on their appearances and characteristics.” Stein removed a laser pen from his lab coat and gestured to the quadruped on top of the screen. “This is the most common one, a Feral Anria. They, for the most part, resemble animals.” He then pointed at the Anria with crystal wings. “Here’s a Volante Anria. If they can fly, they’re this.” Next up was the humanoid Anria dragging around an extremely large arm. Their upper bodies looked heavier than their lower. “We call these Shambling Anria. These are the most ‘humanoid’ of the bunch.” Finally, Stein pointed at the amorphous kind. “A Ghast Anria. I’m more inclined to call these the ‘junk drawer’ for Anria. Anything that’s not like the rest are classified as Ghast Anria.”  
  
 _“If I’m following correctly, then I’ll deign to think that Holland Anria was a Ghast.”_ Kid thought, preferring to stay quiet and make his own deductions than ask questions.  
  
Stein moved onto the next slide. No pictures, just a list of bullet points. “It also seems Anria can follow orders, suggesting some sort of intelligence.”   
  
Maka stopped jotting down notes and blurted out, “Wait, Professor!” When he looked at her, she continued, “How can these mindless things be intelligent?”  
  
“I haven't the answer to that. But if I had to guess, they’re smarter than they look. In fact,” Stein quickly shifted ahead several slides to pull up a picture of Gilgamesh imprisoned in the Netherlands. “This Shambling Anria in particular can communicate and think, so we theorized Anria get smarter, and perhaps stronger, with age.”   
  
The light-haired doctor returned to the list and read the next point. “According to a testament, conventional weaponry doesn’t slow them down at all.”  
  
Blackstar scoffed, leaned back in his seat, propped up his legs, and folded his arms behind his head. “So what? We’re the ones fighting them, and we use Demon Weapons.”  
  
Ragnarok emerged from Crona’s back and shook his head at the assassin. “Use your brain, man. Normal people can at least take a gun and go boom on a Kishin Egg or Evil Human. They find these Anria in a dark alley, they’re dinner.”  
  
“Ragnarok is exactly right. They’re arguably a bigger threat to humanity.” The man placed his hands on his desk, staring into the wood contemplatively. Even with his intellect, these Anria were a mystery he failed to comprehend. “Including that, we have no clue where they came from or what exactly they’re out to do.”   
  
“No theories or anything, Professor Stein?” Ox questioned.   
  
Stein closed his eyes. He debated whether to reveal to them what Francis concluded or not. He eventually chose to do so; Gregory, Noel, Mizuki, and Lelani probably were going to do the same. “There is one thing. It seems Anria have Magic as a common ingredient. We think they’re artificially produced.”  
  
An uproar rang through his class, students shocked at the revelation. Some immediately assumed the worst, stating this was the work of a witch and yelling out death threat. Noticing Kim shuffling nervously in her seat at that, Stein spoke up, “Now, now, calm yourselves. Don’t get in over your heads. While the behind-the-scenes researchers strongly insist they’re manmade, we don’t know for sure.”  
  
Liz stopped fiddling with her hair. “I’m not following, Professor. Witches aren’t the only species who can use Magic. Can’t a few species of Monsters do the same?”  
  
Stein shook his head, plopping back into his chair. “You’re missing the point, Liz. The Anria don’t practice magic, it makes up a part of their _being_. Much like a familiar but more advanced. I think that’s why we’re running off the assumption they’re artificial.”   
  
The class murmured restlessly. The air became thick with tension. Stein sensed it and took the best course of action. “I think I’ll end it here today. You all are dismissed.” As he powered down the projector, the students gathered their belongings and left to kill time. By the time he was done, the room was empty.  
  
The doors on the right flung open.   
  
Tsuji strode into the classroom with long, purposeful steps, practically skipping with each one. Marcellus trailed behind, posture stouter than ever like someone full of pride. The black-haired boy hopped onto his desk, holding up a peace sign as high as he could. “Moooooornin’, lovelies!”   
  
Said to a class full of empty seats.  
  
Mood plummeting like rainfall, Tsuji slumped and hung his head. “That explains the echo,” Marcellus dryly remarked.  
  
Stein wheeled closer to the guys. “I decided to dismiss early. We covered everything important today.” Tsuji jumped off his desk and the two faced the mad doctor. “All things considered, congratulations on a job well done. You and Joe gave us all some insight into the Anria.”  
  
Marcellus did the math in his head and gaped at his teacher. “Wait, so between yesterday and now, you guys compiled all that information and then some?”  
  
Tsuji whistled in an impressed manner. “Dang, you guys work fast.”  
  
Stein rolled his neck to alleviate an ache in it. “Well, it wasn’t easy. Lord Death, Azusa, and I lost sleep preparing everything, but I think it’s worth it in the end. Which reminds me.” He removed Tsuji’s cellphone and held it out to him. “I’m sure you’ll be needing this back.”  
  
“Sure will.” After checking for any new messages, the boy pocketed it. “Listen, Doc, I need your help with something. I know somewhere crammed up in that ginormous brain of yours, you know something about the Enchanted Eyes. So talk to me.”  
  
“Hm. It really is a bloodline skill. I was wondering if either you or Rowena had them,” Stein observed, examining Tsuji intently. The archer backed away, knowing that particular look – shining glasses, eerie smile, and slightly dipped head – was reserved for guinea pigs. “But I’m afraid it’s better you ask your father. I can only tell you things I read from scholars.” A lightbulb went off in his head. “Even better! There are two individuals in Class Half Moon who recently mastered the Enchanted Eyes. Ai Shiho and Shannon Hewbert.”  
  
“So I guess we’ll pay them a visit then,” Marcellus said, making his way for the door.  
  
“Don’t forget to stop by my office in your free time so I can summarize today’s lecture.” Stein’s eerie smile arched into a sinister one, making chills run down Tsuji’s spine. “I’d love to see the Enchanted Eyes.”  
  
Tsuji grabbed Marcellus and sprinted through the doors, leaving Stein spinning in his chair laughing.   
  


* * *

  
  
Tsuji and Marcellus arrived at their destination, Class Half Moon. They could hear droning chatter from the other side, meaning a lesson was still going on. Odd, considering all students had P.E. either now or the next period; in the case of the latter, homeroom still wasn’t next. The two stared at the sign for a couple of seconds before looking at each other.  
  
“Should we knock and ask?” Tsuji asked.  
  
“Why not? It’s only polite.”   
  
Tsuji walked up to the door and rapped on the door a few times, hearing silence befall. The door creaking open, Gregory peered at the meister, standing high above him. “May I help you?” the professor asked with a grunt.  
  
Tsuji swallowed thickly, Gregory’s piercing gaze making him feel smaller. “W-We’re here to see Ai Shiho and Shannon Hewbert.”   
  
Professor Matilda never moved or made a sound once he heard that. Marcellus figured he needed a better explanation than that. After all, none of them knew each other. “It’s important. We heard they had the Enchanted Eyes and Tsuji here recently got them too. So, we need some guidance.”   
  
Gregory released a low hum, contemplating the request. Other students were asking his warriors for help. That filled him with pride. Finally, he gave them a nod. “Wait here.” He closed the door again, leaving Marcellus and Tsuji there unsure of what that meant. Soon enough, the doors swung open as Half Moon classmates filed out, unaware of their presence. Once the flow of people ebbed, Gregory reappeared at the doorway. “They will see you now.”  
  
As the man walked out behind them. Marcellus and Tsuji entered the classroom. It looked very similar to the setup of Class Crescent Moon. At the front, Audrey leaned against Professor Matilda’s desk. By her side was another girl her age, sporting ashy blond hair that reminded them of Maka’s and dark-colored eyes. Furthermore, Marcellus recognized two things about Shannon. One, she was Eskimo. Two, she wore a DWMA uniform, the blue and white kind with the neck ribbon and plaid skirt. _“Exotic. Never seen her kind before. Interesting.”_  
  
The minute Audrey saw the two males, she took refuge behind her weapon partner. “G-Good morning.”   
  
The act left them staring at the Baton Meister in confusion. Shannon sighed as she crossed her arms, barely even looking at them. “She acts like that around guys. She’s an androphobe.”  
  
Marceulls nodded, gaining an understanding, but Tsuji continued to stare. He pointed a finger at the female meister. “Did you just say she’s an android?”  
  
The Demon Baton growled, glaring daggers at the boy. “ _Androphobe_ , dumbass!”  
  
Tsuji folded his good arm under his chest, eyes wandering all over the place as his brain worked to find the meaning of the word. Seeing he was having trouble, Marcellus leaned over and whispered into his ear, “It basically means she’s scared of men.”  
  
A frown firmly entrenched itself on the archer’s face, his chartreuse eyes losing their shine. “Oh, no. This ain’t gonna work out if this chick starts attackin’ and hatin’ on me like I’m every men in the world.”  
  
Shannon slammed her fist on her teacher’s desk, gritting her teeth. “Shut up, stupid! Audrey’s not like that! We have three guys on our team!” Her own eyes matched the fire in Tsuji’s. “But you keep acting like that and she _might_.”  
  
“Well, this is a wonderful first impression…” Marcellus mumbled to himself. Before he got a headache, he decided to pacify the situation. “We’re getting off-track. The reason we’re here is because apparently you two know about the Enchanted Eyes. Tsuji unlocked his the other day, and we got a lot of questions. Can you lend a hand so nothing bad happens?”  
  
Audrey walked up behind Shannon, looking at them over her shoulder. “Sure, we’ll help out.” She placed a hand behind her head. “Just no touching.” She then pointed at the floor in front of Tsuji and Marcellus. “Oh, and please remain at the distance you are now.”  
  
Marcellus refrained from sighing and making a dry quip. Already wanting to leave, Tsuji spoke, “Fine then. First of all, how do you activate them? It happened totally by accident the first time around.”  
  
“Acknowledge that you have them,” Shannon replied. She gestured to her own eyes and, in a split second, her sclera turned black and her irises turned orange with all the other traits too. “And to deactivate, will them away.” Just as quickly as she gained them, the Enchanted Eyes went away. She then flipped her hair. “Like so. It’s so simple a monkey could do it.”  
  
“You sound very condescending right now,” Marcellus pointed out, unaffected by the glare she sent him. Then, he nodded at his partner, urging him to give it a try to see how easy the task really was.   
  
Tsuji nodded back. _“Acknowledge I have them, huh? Well, I’m pretty sure I got ‘em, so…”_ Just then, his body jerked as he felt a surge of power course through him. “What was that?! Do I have them!?”   
  
“Yeah, they’re on,” Shannon confirmed. Tsuji hollered and jumped around giddily. Irritated, the Demon Baton grabbed some locks of her hair. She was go glad nobody in Class Half Moon was this hyper. Then, an idea cropped up, and she smiled mischievously. “Hey, hold still.” Tsuji stopping and looking at her, Shannon transformed her index finger into a baton, raised it, and inched it towards his eye.  
  
The effect was lost on Tsuji, who just stood there. _“Dude, what’s she doing? I see that coming from a mile away. There’s no danger in what she’s—”_  
  
“TSUJI!” Out of nowhere, Marcellus grabbed him and pulled him away from the weapon. The older male made Tsuji look him dead in his eyes. “Why were you just standing there?! She was _this_ close to poking your eye out!”  
  
Shannon burst into a fit of laughter as Audrey chuckled sheepishly. By the time the Demon Baton calmed down, Tsuji was glaring at her. “Yep! You’re a newbie to this.” She wiped the tears from her eyes. “You gotta work on that. The Enchanted Eyes sharpens your human instincts and gives you clarity of perception, but if you can’t physically act, it won’t do any good for you. You actually looked kinda slow there.”  
  
“I’m ready to leave,” Tsuji bitterly announced, “I can’t stay here no more.”  
  
Shannon clicked her tongue. “What? Think you handle the rest by yourself?” Her tone reeked of smugness.  “I’m not gonna lie. The Enchanted Eyes can be a pain. You get tested, you hear voices inside your head that make you think you’re crazy, and sometimes can _go_ crazy.”  
  
Audrey decided to add a caveat since it appeared they were going soon. “When Shannon unlocked hers not too long ago, she went on a blind rampage during school hours. Mr. Ricardsen and Professor Matilda took care of her though.”  
  
Marcellus recalled Tsuij’s attack on Eruka and then Clarke’s attempted execution of him. _“Did both events contribute to Tsuji awakening the Enchanted Eyes? I wonder… Did Cobra Island soften him up? And, because of that, Clarke was the final nail on the coffin?”_  
  
An impish smirk carved its way on Tsuji’s face. Time for a little payback, he thought. Placing one fist on his hip, he addressed Shannon, “So what happened at school to make that happen? Boyfriend got tired of you or something?”  
  
Shannon transformed one of her fingers into a fencing baton and aimed it at Tsuji’s neck, but his smirk never vanished. At least his Enchanted Eyes were gone. “Don’t even joke like that, dumbass.”  
  
Gasping, Audrey ran up beside her weapon partner, hoping to calm her down. “Please understand. See, it’s more serious than that. She—”  
  
Shannon raised her free hand to Audrey’s face, stopping her. “Don’t tell them. It’s private.”  
  
“In that case, we won’t bother you two anymore.” Marcellus extended his hand for a handshake, forgetting an androphone was in his presence. “You’ve been a great help.”   
  
Audrey recoiled. “Y-Yeah! You’re welcome! Back up please!”   
  
Marcellus instead used his hand to massage his now sore ear, muttering under his breath.   
  


* * *

  
  
“We’re home!”  
  
Noel stopped managing his finances and saw Tsuji and Marcellus walk through the front door. His son was positively glowing with a big smile on his face, and the Demon Bow, laidback as ever, stretched his back to get rid of the day’s tension on his body. “Sit down,” he demanded, but they were heading to the couch anyway, “Explain yourselves. Just this morning, you’re depressed. Now this.”  
  
Tsuji and Marcellus looked at each other, wanting the other to kick off the conversation. Eventually, they took turns telling Noel about how the Cobra Island mission affected them, what Joe did for them, the situation in Chicago that led to Tsuji unlocking his Enchanted Eyes, and their meeting with Audrey and Shannon. Noel waited until they were done before he spoke, “Well, I’m not going to sit here and say it’s a good thing you went on that mission to Chicago because your lives were in danger.” He shut his notebook and set it aside. “But it appears what I tried to do Buttataki already took care of.”  
  
“In hindsight, we probably should’ve talked to you earlier.” Tsuji lowered his head, smiling sheepishly.  
  
Noel shook his head. “There’s not much else I can say about that.” He locked his eyes with son, a gesture to his new ability. “But we _should_ talk about the Enchanted Eyes.”  
  
“What’s so bad about anyway?” Marcellus asked, sinking into his seat and crossing his arms, “Not a single person has referred to it in a positive light.”  
  
“That’s because the background of the Enchanted Eyes is full of unknowns,” Noel explained, “but what we know about them isn’t all pretty. She told how you’ll be tested, correct? If you hear a faint voice in your head, don’t ignore it. It’s trying to steer you towards the right path.” He stared intently at Tsuji, trying to convey to him how serious this situation was. “All sorts of temptations and vices will come your way to try and make you fail, to turn you into an untamable monster. The scholars call it a curse, but I don’t know what it really is.”  
  
“Might as well be.” Tsuji sighed and pinched the bridge of his noise. “Havin’ to go through all these changes just to keep it.”  
  
“Once you prove yourself and master the Enchanted Eyes, it’s yours to freely command forever after,” Noel said in a simple tone, “I can’t tell you how long that will take. It varies apparently. It took me a few years, Shannon a few hours. So stay focused. Don’t give in.”  
  
“Finally! Something to be optimistic about.” Throwing his hands up in the air, Tsuji’s refreshed smile returned full force.  
  
Noel crossed his arms and sunk into his seat. “Keep me or Franken updated about your progress. If anything strange happens, let us know. I want to make sure you don’t have to go through what me and the rest did.”  
  
Marcellus removed his lollipop from his mouth but immediately put it back in, addicted to his new favorite flavor. “So what about me, Noel?”  
  
The older man responded with a lazy wave. “You’re fine, Marcellus. Only the actual owners of the Enchanted Eyes go through this, not the partners. But I do trust you noticed the effects of the Eyes bleed over?”  
  
“Yeah. My weapon form transfigured and arrows I fired were stronger.”  
  
Just then, a question Tsuji wondered for the longest popped up in his head. “I’ve been meanin’ to ask this, Old Man,” Tsuji said, getting his father’s attention. He folded his good arm under his chest, tilting his head. “You got the Enchanted Eyes, so how come you use only one? And did Old Lady get affected by them like Marcellus did?”  
  
“That’s right.” Noel raked back his bangs to show both of his dark auburn eyes. The boys focused on the one they usually didn’t see. “Back when I was a student, your uncle Edward and aunt Emma banned me using my Enchanted Eyes. Stubborn as I was, I figured out a way to suppress one of my Eyes to appease them. Even now they’ll get on my case and say I shouldn’t use both of them. It’s for the best; both Eyes put too much strain on me. After all, there _is_ such a thing as too much power.”  
  
Nodding, Tsuji stood from his seat, tired of lectures about the Enchanted Eyes. “Thanks, Old Man.” The Bow Meister then sprinted up the stairs. “Hey, Rowena! Nayumi! Fire up the Wii and get ready to be schooled!”  
  
Noel too got up and released a heavy sigh. Seemed like if it wasn’t one thing, it was another. Just as he turned to the kitchen entrance, Marcellus cleared his throat to get his attention. “Uh, Noel? Uh, see this isn’t easy for me to say…” The African-American nervously rubbed the back of his head as Noel stood there unblinking and unmoving. “You know I’m not good at expressing myself and I personally think I’m not that good at apologizing. But, somewhere down the line, I…” A small smile ghosted his face, “never showed my gratitude for your sacrifices. So, the least I can do is say thank you.”  
  
Noel nodded, but judging from his expression, Marcellus wasn’t sure if he understood his feelings. “It’s fine, Marcellus. That’s all you need to say. I’m the same way. At times, you and I have more in common than my children do with me.”  
  
The two men chuckled. It was true after all. The Demon Shield began walking to the kitchen. “Dinner will be ready soon.”  
  
Marcellus figured Rowena, Nayumi, and Tsuji should know about that. When he approached the bottom of the steps, he met Tsuji holding up his wallet to show an empty space where his Student ID would be.  
  
“Do you know what happened to my ID?”


	39. Descent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even with all the preparation and forewarning in the world, some things still do not go as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.

**Descent**  
  
_Month 2, Week 4, Day 2 (Monday, February 23th)_  
  
Portis Ardsen smoothed the paper map out for the third time that late morning against the surface of his office desk. It mattered not really, for when he finished it the first time, the content was burned into his brain – the giant red circle around the state of Nevada and a series of arrows pointing to Death City. He then focused on Tsuji’s Student I.D. According to Left and Right, this boy was the meister partner of his lost son.  
  
Portis was faced with a conundrum. An emissary of Lord Death investigated his terrain, potentially meaning the gang would have a problem worse than law enforcement or rivals. On the other hand, the Anria help improved business in the short time he employed them. His pride also made him dislike the thought of double-crossing his client, Cancer.  
  
“But he’s there. This is our one and only shot to get him back,” Portis mumbled, burying his face into his hands. Ever since Marcellus ran away, both he and Morgan reconsidered their treatment of him. How depressed was he? What did they do wrong? Did someone bully him? What did he really enjoy? Sure, having an heir to the gang was beneficial, but that was irrelevant. “I just want him back. I miss him. I love him.”  
  
A knock on the door brought the don back to reality. Dropping his hands, Portis put on his mask of authority and barked out, “Who is it?”  
  
“Your wife.”  
  
Portis hurried out of his seat and opened the door. Standing there was a woman his age with brownish-orange hair and brown eyes, wearing a blue blouse, jeans, and a surgical mask over her face. “Morgan? What are you doing out of bed?” He questioned, closing the door behind her as she let herself in.  
  
“I got tired of being bedridden and wanted some fresh air,” Morgan replied, swatting away her husband’s hands when he tried to help her in an armchair. “Besides, when I heard I lost Clarke, one of my finest men, I didn’t want to worry myself sicker.”  
  
“Left and Right said they witnessed the whole thing from the shadows,” Portis explained, sitting in the adjacent armchair, “I’m afraid Clarke’s tendency to send a message before he finishes the deed cost him dearly.”  
  
Morgan idly wrapped a strand of hair around her finger. “It’s an old habit necessitated by our past.” Before Portis and Morgan’s marriage, the Chicago Underground Association and the de Niro Family were separate entities. Morgan, the matriarch of the de Niro Family, commanded a tenacious group that managed to fend off their larger opposition and build a solid reputation, but small numbers and a lack of resources threatened to collapse the family. Meanwhile, Don Portis Ardsen headed the strong, powerful, and long-lasting Chicago Gang but consisted of mostly youngsters without direction. Once they wedded, the de Niro Family became part of the Chicago Gang, solving both gangs’ problems, and the two shared equal authority.  
  
Portis sighed and propped an elbow on his desk, rubbing his forehead. “Because of those ‘old habits,’ Death Weapon Meister Academy is knocking on our door.”  
  
Morgan scoffed and chuckled sarcastically. “In my humble opinion, darling, what did you expect when you made use of supernatural creatures?”  
  
Portis stiffened and didn’t feel like answering that question. “What I _didn’t_ expect was Marlon and Clarke to be such fools.” The man leaned back in his seat and pinched the bridge of his nose. Amazing what two rogue underlings did in the span of a day. One went on an unauthorized rampage that led to his capture, the other picked sadism over pragmatism.  
  
Morgan took a deep breath, relieving herself of a pang of guilt. “Since they came from the de Niro family, as their leader, I apologize, Portis. I taught them better than that.”  
  
“You needn’t apologize for their incompetence, Morgan. People change.”  
  
The eyes of the Chicago Gang matriarch drifted to the picture of herself, Portis, and Marcellus on the desk. Her head lowered and she spoke into a softer tone, “Have we changed to his liking?”  
  
Portis too glanced at the picture, the happiest they’d been in their lives. He rested his elbows on his knees and interlaced his fingers, closing his eyes as he sighed. That was a question he honestly had no answer to. It was something he wouldn’t know until the three of them were face-to-face again. “Trust me, I’ve been here all morning trying to formulate a plan to dodge the Grim Reaper’s wrath and procure Marcellus from Death Weapon Meister Academy.”  
  
“Kidnapping him is definitely out of the question. That would defeat the purpose.” Morgan sunk into the armchair, eyelids threatening to fall, weak from both drowsiness and influenza. “Any form of coercion, to be honest. I wonder if waltzing in there and just talking to him is good enough?”  
  
“Doubt it,” Portis contended, “I can only imagine how many people we’d have to go through. I want to do this peaceably.”  
  
“You can bet, once he’s back, we will cater to his needs to ensure he likes it here better,” Morgan said, “That’s a promise.”  
  
Portis nodded. He was set to announce this afternoon to the gang there’d be some changes going around, all to keep Marcellus happy. Tearing his thoughts away from him, the man groaned and rubbed his temples. “I’m not having much luck about Cancer either.”  
  
Morgan chuckled, toying with a strand of hair again. “I think the solution is simple. We throw our enemies under the bus. We’re crime lords, we know how to _make_ things go our way.”  
  
A smirk stretched across Portis’s face. “You’re absolutely right, Morgan.” It was a good thing to have a partner. Portis never considered pinning the Anria on Soriano and the Other Side Gang. The hardest parts to cover up were the containment facility under his territory and Marlon’s and Clarke’s involvements. “Morgan, I regret to say this, but I might have to throw Marlon and Clarke under the bus if that’s going to work.”  
  
Morgan released a long sigh. A pang of guilt struck her heart. She planned a funeral for Clarke, and now she had to disrespect his death to help the gang save face. “This is a dirty business after all, so I guess it can’t be helped.” Curious, she decided to pick at Portis’s head to see where he was going with this. “I suppose you’re going to say we leased part of our land to the Other Side Gang as a temporary peace treaty/ceasefire, but we’d no clue about the Anria?”  
  
“Precisely my intentions.” Portis stood from his chair and walked to the nearest window, watching the morning sun and the Chicago skyline. “In line with that, we’ll say Marlon and Clarke broke protocol and turned coat without our knowledge. Perhaps to sweeten the deal, I might as well mention Cancer’s name.”  
  
“Good call,” Morgan agreed, pausing to cough, “Just let the Academy take care of her and the Other Side Gang. We might as well face facts, our days using the Anria as tools are over, however short they were.” Crossing her legs, the reality of the situation became even clearer. “And a trip to Death City is unavoidable. I’ll have Left and Right make plans for us.”  
  
Portis whipped around to face his wife. “You’re coming with me?”  
  
“But of course.” Morgan rose and crossed her arms. “I have a son waiting for me, and two heads are better than one, Portis. The Grim Reaper holds centuries of wisdom of experience. He’s going to bombard us with question after question, and we must do our best to make sure things hold up.”  
  
Portis wanted to protest. Morgan needed to stay in bed, take her medicine, and get well, but he saw the fire in her tired, bloodshot eyes. She made up her mind and was sticking to it. “Fine, but our doctor is coming with us.”  
  
“Fine. That should be a large-enough party for this excursion.” Morgan coughed and sneezed more violently than before.  
  
At that, Portis insisted, “Get back to bed. I’ll handle the rest.”  
  
“I will do that.”  
  
Morgan gave her husband a reassuring wave goodbye and saw herself out of his office. The woman closed the door behind her and leaned back against it with a drawn-out sigh. She caressed her own head, coughing. “Yeah. It’s time for medicine and a nap.” She summoned the strength to stand on her own feet again.  
  
“Are you sure you don’t need an escort to your room?”  
  
Surprised, Morgan whipped towards the direction of the voice. She narrowed her eyes at the light-skinned, African-American woman, her dark brown hair trailing behind her like the shadows in the hall. Her green apple eyes shined in the dim light.  
  
“If I did, it wouldn’t be you, Miyuki.” Morgan examined her outfit, her eyebrow twitching and a grimace concealed by her mask. The woman wore a low-cut, purple halter mini-dress, black thigh-high boots, large silver hoop earrings, silver bangles on her left wrist, and a black choker with a wombat pendant. “And cover yourself up. Lord knows how you’re not freezing. We have a uniform for a reason.”  
  
Miyuki pouted and crossed her arms beneath her chest, the action pushing her prominent cleavage over the top of her mini-dress ever so slightly. Morgan wondered if it was a stealthy insult towards her, an older woman on the ‘wrong side’ of 40. “Don’t you realize Big Daddy P made me a high-ranking officer? Besides, this is comfy.”  
  
In the blink of eye, Morgan produced her sidearm from its hidden holster and pressed the barrel directly into Miyuki’s throat. “ _Don’t_ call him that. And do you realize I can demote you in a second?”  
  
Miyuki’s eyes shrunk and she held up her hands, beginning to sweat bullets. “H-Hey, hey! C-Calm down, Master Morgan! Why are you doing this to me?! I’ve done nothing but good for the Chicago Gang!”  
  
The matriarch clicked off the safety, narrowing her eyes. “Because I. Don’t. Like. You.” There wasn’t something about Miyuki that rubbed her the wrong way, and past experience taught her to follow her gut. She tore her sidearm away from her. “And it’s the ‘Chicago Underground Association,’ thank you very much.” Mumbling to herself, Morgan put her gun up, put the safety back on, and proceeded to walk back to her quarters.  
  
Miyuki pressed her back against the wall and exhaled in relief. Then, she recalled the conversation Portis and Morgan had that she eavesdropped on. Smiling impishly, she cupped her chin. _“Cancer, huh? Well, it just so happens a Witch Mass is coming up.”_  


* * *

  
  
Cancer removed a heated slab of metal from its furnace with a pair of tongs and guided it over to its vat to cool. Once that was done, she removed her mask and walked over to another section of the factory. Robotic arms pieced together parts she crafted in the past days, fusing them to a large shell with pinpoint lasers. Pressing a button on the nearby computer, she checked on the progress. “Only 40% complete with Project Omega’s next body.” Sighing, she ran her hand through her bangs. “I should have been finished by now. Accursed distractions.”  
  
Soon, Henderson entered the engineering factory, identifying Cancer among the working machinery. “Lady Cancer, as you requested, I am reminding you of the Witch Mass.” The witch continued her work without acknowledging him. More firmly, Henderson pressed on, “You must go. You don't want them getting suspicious or target you for assassination.”  
  
Cancer switched off the lever with such quickness that Henderson balked, thinking he spoke out of line. After a long pause, she looked at him and said, “I suppose there is sense to your words. I shall depart posthaste.”  
  
Henderson breathed again. “I’ll leave you to your preparations. Allow me to get my cloak.” The monster man shuffled out of the engineering lab and went to his quarters near the top of Subterrene. It was a simple, round room with thirteen capsules lining the walls. At a coat rack, he snatched off the brown body cloak meant to conceal his inhuman body from the public eye. He then heard a soft knock on his door. “I do not require privacy. Enter at your own will.”  
  
The door creaked open and Kujira poked her head in. “Hello. Just dropping by.”  
  
“To do what?”  
  
“No reason. Just bored.”  
  
Henderson slipped on the cloak and pulled up his hood. “If that’s the case, you should accompany me and Lady Cancer to the Witch Mass.”  
  
Kujira huffed, entering the room. While it would help, she still wasn’t on speaking terms with Cancer after their disagreement. But she supposed, as long as Henderson was around, she could tolerate her presence. Kujira undid her Other Side Gang coat and tossed it away, revealing her black shirt and slacks. “I’m leaving my gear here. Don’t know if someone at the Witch Mass will recognize my colors.” As she spoke, she pulled down her sleeve to hide her tattoo. “This’ll be my first time going to one since the incident.”  
  
“Then you should be prepared to be bombarded with questions,” Henderson said, heading out the door and keeping it open, “Lady Cancer told me, when she returned to the Witch Society after a 200-year hiatus thanks to Lucrenian Clan Incident, the Witch Judge called her into her office.”  
  
Kujira groaned, slumping her shoulders and hanging her head. “Great. And when you tack on an extra twenty-three for me, it’s bound to happen.”  
  
Cancer, Kujira, and Henderson left for the Witch Realm. All the while, Henderson stood between the two Lucrenian sisters to stave off the lingering tension between them. Not a single one of them spoke during the trip. In the dim, dark chapel where the Witch Mass took place, the three stood in the very back near the exit even as the place filled with Witches from all corners of the magical realm and the human world itself.  
  
“Joma joma dabarasa. Joma joma dabarasa.” All chatter stopped when the Grand Witch herself, Mabaa appeared above the pedestal overlooking everyone. All Witches followed in muttering the greeting, heads bowed and hands over their hearts. All except Cancer. “This Witch Mass is hereby opened.” The crows perched on the spindly trees outside the stain-glass windows. “The traitor Medusa Gorgon, awakener of the Kishin, has finally be vanquished. We may rest easy knowing she can no longer pose a threat.”  
  
Sighs of relief chorused. She would not be missed.  
  
“As children of Magic, we are targeted by everyone, even the DWMA themselves. However, it seems that a new threat has caught the DWMA's attention,” Mabaa continued, voice old and cracking with age, “There are new creatures that walk on the land known as the Anria.”  
  
Cancer closed her eyes, leaned against the wall, and rubbed her scarfed arm. _“So the Council not only found about their existence but also their name.”_  
  
“Even though they are a danger to our enemies and the humans, these monsters may be dangerous to us as well. I must warn you, my daughters, for whatever you do, stay away from these creatures.” Murmuring resonated throughout the chapel, but not for long. Once it died down, Mabaa went on with the rest of the Witch Mass, commemorating the exceptional performance of a young witch.  
  
As said witch came up to receive a pendent of honor, Cancer grew tired of the spectacle. She removed herself from the wall. “Shall we get going?” She whispered to her compatriots. Henderson nodded and nudged a sleepy Kujira to get her attention. The three walked through the exit.  
  
“Leaving so soon, Cancer?”  
  
The voice was laced with a silky smooth purr, but Cancer discerned the taunting behind it. Like a child who knew a dark secret and was ready to tattle. Ahead stood a woman wearing a black corset dress with a horizontal neckline, lace gloves, black high heels, and a black choker with a wombat pendant. “And you guys even walked out during my sister’s proudest moment.” She pouted childishly. “You wound me.”  
  
Cancer recognized her but thought nothing of it. “What business do you have with me?”  
  
Kujira glared at the woman from the top of her glasses. “Miyuki. You goddamn CG. Why are you here?”  
  
The witch in question played with the fringe on the right side of her face. “Uh, actually my name is Walena Devilana. And I’m here for the same reasons as you, Kujira.”  
  
Kujira sneered. “You’re lucky I’m off-duty right now. Else I’d make you CGs pay for what you guys did to my dead homies.”  
  
“You are obscuring our path,” Cancer said plainly, “We are trying to depart.”  
  
“You guys are such killjoys.” Walena sighed and turned around. “But I guess you do have things to do. Like cavorting with someone that wants nothing to do with you.”  
  
The three of them stared expressionlessly at Walena, wondering what exactly she meant by that. Cancer narrowed her eyes, keeping her toneless voice. “Care to clarify?”  
  
Walena kept her back to them so they couldn’t see the mischievous grin forming on her face. She held up one finger and casually wagged it. “Tsk tsk. You really should pick better friends, Cancer. Never know when they might snitch on you. Like a certain someone.” Walena looked at the Lucrenian over her shoulder. “Right, creator of the Anria?”  
  
Kujira gasped and immediately went for her hidden weapons. A red glint appeared in Henderson’s dark eyeholes, preparing to apprehend Walena. Cancer was the only who remained motionless. “How does a witch like yourself come across information like that? It surely could not have been trial and error or extensive research. No one here knows me that well.”  
  
“I’m surprised neither you or the OG over there has figured it out yet.” Walena said nothing more. If they could not decipher her cryptic message, then they deserved to walk right to their doom. A few seconds passed by, and it all came together. Cancer narrowed her eyes, the flames of anger blazing in them. It was the look of someone betrayed, a wordless understanding of Walena’s hints. “Bingo~ Well, I’m sure Grand Witch Mabaa, Ms. Foxworth, and the rest of the Witch Council would like to—”  
  
In a split-second, Walena found herself thrown into a stone wall farther down the hall. Henderson’s large crab claw effortlessly pinned the witch. Kujira stood beside him, smiling and twirling a shiv in one hand and a handgun in the other. Cancer stood behind them, eyes still glowing, as she caressed her scarfed arm that hung limp at her side like always.  
  
“Would like to _what_?”  
  
Walena’s eyes widened with shock, helplessly squirming in Henderson’s grip. “W-W-Wait! Don’t kill me! I was just playing!” She cried out in desperation. _“Why is everyone threatening to kill me today?!”_  
  
Cancer ignored all of her pleas. “You are going to tell everything you know right now. Now begin.”  
  
Walena gulped noisily, swallowing her witch pride. “Fine. Portis and his wife, Morgan, are planning to blame the Anria on Soriano and the OGs. They’re going straight to the Reaper to tattle.”  
  
Cancer stood still as a statue, but a storm of anger built up inside her. She banked on Portis, a man of honor, to keep his business vow. How foolish of her. At that moment, Kujira looked at her younger sister, an ear-to-ear grin stuck on her face. “You know, sometimes ‘I told you so’ just doesn’t cut it.”  
  
The younger Lucrenian glared at her, but Kujira was unaffected. She was in the right after all. Cancer sighed and rubbed her temples. _“This must be punishment for turning a simple request for equipment into a complex scheme to aid a family member and her consorts.”_  
  
“What do you want out of this?” Henderson questioned. He wasn’t going to let up his hold unless Cancer ordered him to. “Why tell us?”  
  
Walena smiled and looked at the Cancer once more. “If these Anria are any indication, seems like you’re shaking things up quite a bit recently, Ms. Lucrenian. You see, my mother was a former Councilmember, so I guess you can say I was a fly in the wall for some meetings. I know a little about you Lucrenians. An independent clan of technophiles. Now where am I getting with this? Well, it’s simple.” She flashed a thumbs-up to the best of her ability, her smile radiating kindness. ‘Keep up the good work!”  
  
Kujira nearly fell over, Henderson released several unbecoming splutters, and Cancer was unresponsive. Walena giggled at their reactions. “I don't care about the DWMA, the Witch Society, or anything. The only thing I do care about is DWMA falling to the ground and for my sister and me to be safe. And, if you can accomplish that, I'll do anything to help. Besides, I think it would be fun~”  
  
Cancer still wasn’t sure whether to trust Walena or not, but at this point, she had no other options. She very well could have said nothing and let them run right into the trap the Chicago Gang was getting ready to lay. Cancer nodded her head at Henderson, and he released Walena.  
  
Seeing the situation was no longer hostile, Kujira put away her weapons, but she still had questions. “Okaaaay, so why associate yourself with humans if that’s the case?”  
  
Walena shrugged her shoulders. “Well, for starters, it provides money. And, two, I was hoping to use them for something if that’s still possible.”  
  
Chatter and echoing footsteps were heard in the distance. The Witch Mass had finally been dismissed. Cancer planned to continue this discussion. “Let us go elsewhere.”  
  
Walena looked back and forth, hoping she wouldn’t find her sister. “Must I go? I promised my sister we’d have a celebration.”  
  
Cancer tossed her a pointed look. “Consider this your punishment for meddling in others’ affairs.”  
  
Walena hung her head and sighed exasperatedly. She should’ve expected as much. “Can we at least do it somewhere around here?”  
  
The group left the chapel and stationed themselves at the base of the mountain where nobody would find them. As a precautionary measure, Henderson kept watch. Kujira and Walena watched Cancer pace back and forth, thinking. _“Before anything else is said, I need to settle on an assumption. The worst case scenario – Portis successfully convinces Death.”_ At this point, Cancer thought aloud so her compatriots could follow her train of thoughts. “That puts both myself and the Other Side Gang on the spotlight. Walena, when are they going to Death City?”  
  
“Not today but sometime soon.”  
  
“I do not care what you have to do. Go with them. I need a set of ears and eyes in that meeting so we know exactly what to anticipate.”  
  
Walena gave thumbs-up. “Okie-dokey. I’ll get my hands on the latest gossip~”  
  
“Regardless of the outcome, Death and his soldiers have knowledge of the Anria in Chicago.” Cancer looked over to where Henderson kept watch and spoke loud enough so he could hear. “Henderson, you and I will have to rescue all Anria there. There are far too many there to leave at their mercy.”  
  
“Yes, ma’am.”  
  
The leader of Novus Partus resumed her pacing, cupping her chin thoughtfully. “Naturally, Soriano and his folks need to be made aware of the situation. Neptune, I leave that to you. If he questions why, tell him his rival acted in an unprecedented manner. I would also like his input in case he makes any suggestions that prove beneficial.”  
  
“Roger that.”  
  
“Now then, by air, a trip from Chicago to Death City is not terribly long, but let us focus on the duration of a round trip and their time in Death City. In that short time frame, the Anria must be evacuated. If there is one thing Death is, he is efficient. His solders will swarm that city and eradicate all traces of Anria.”  
  
“I have to ask this, Cancer.” Kujira crossed her arms and stared expectantly at her younger sibling. “You still plan on honoring your deal with Boss? I certainly hope so.”  
  
Cancer gave Kujira a dull glare. Considering the circumstances, this deal was the whole reason why they were in this mess. “Yes, yes, if I must. So that brings me to the next issue. Still considering the worst case scenario, the Chicago Gang is out of danger. The initial plan is therefore reversed. That means their destruction falls squarely on us.”  
  
Kujira chuckled, a smile breaking out. “Don’t strain your brain too much on that, Sis. I can ask Boss. He’s been waiting to do something to Portis and his gang for the longest.”  
  
Walena sat on a rock and crossed her legs, addressing the Other Side gangster, “Won’t that alert the police? Then you have the Academy _and_ the police department down your necks. And you can’t use the Anria because you’re trying to get them out of there.”  
  
Kujira stood there frozen as she imagined the consequences. The Other Side Gang territory surrounded by DWMA soldiers as Chicago PD or even the FBI swarmed the inside, kicked down every down, and arrested all gangsters, including herself and Soriano. Her face went pale as her stomach twisted in a knot. “Oh. Right.”  
  
As the two Witches talked, Cancer strategized. She needed something capable of decimating a whole gang of people in short time. Something the average hero couldn’t stop. Cancer thought about doing it herself, but one stray bullet would end Novus Partus and Project Omega.  
  
_“Project Omega.”_  
  
“Small alteration,” Cancer declared, getting everyone’s attention, “Henderson, Anria evacuation is solely your responsible now. I have to devote the rest of my free time to some upgrades. All other variables will have be addressed later when we know what both Portis and Soriano plan to do.”  
  
“If that case, I’ll make the call.” Kujira removed her cellphone and looked to Walena. “You got your assignment, so you probably might wanna head on before your sis gets worried.”  
  
“That I should.” Walena removed a red feather from her person and placed it to her lips. In a cloud of red dust, the feather transformed into a board of sorts with tribal patterns. She sat on it, the board lifting itself into the air. “We’ll keep in touch, ladies, Henderson. Ciao~”  
  
…  
  
The reception may had been weak in the Witch Realm, but Kujira nonetheless managed tell Soriano about the new developments. Through it all, Kujira held her breath at regular intervals, expecting him to explode at any moment.  
  
“Typical Portis,” Soriano spoke in an eerily calm tone, “You know, I’m inclined to leave Cancer hanging. Serves her right for jeopardizing my men. But, since our necks are out on this, now’s not the time to hold a grudge. Tell Cancer not to be too hasty or else she’ll slip up. It’s all but over if Morgan and Portis catch wind of our coalition and, as you know, they can derail this whole operation like they’re doing now.”  
  
Soriano put out his cigarette and reached under his desk, pulling out a large chessboard. He took his time setting it up on his desk, all the right pieces in place. He then motioned forward several of them, leaving it the opposing side’s turn, and reclined in his chair.  
  
_“All right, Portis, it’s your move again.”_  


* * *

  
  
Jacqueline set up her desk to be nice and neat – a notebook in the middle, writing utensils on one side, accessories on the other, and her Phasmology textbook in her bag for easy access. She stared at the setup for a while before giggling; she did this same routine back in her partner-less days. She was an honor student after all. _“I guess some things never change.”_  
  
Jacqueline owed it all to Kim. The girl was an outgoing, confident one, and it rubbed off on her. After some point, Jacqueline abandoned the prim and proper suits she usually wore and went with a schoolgirl outfit around the same time as Kim, a symbol of their friendship and loyalty to each other. And she let her hair down, too, literally and figuratively. It came as a shock to her folks when she returned home for summer vacation, but they were nonetheless glad she found a friend after not having any throughout her childhood.  
  
Speaking of Kim, she was coming to her desk now. The Demon Weapon’s smile vanished when she noticed the tanuki witch frowning. When the pinkette flopped into her seat in a huff, Jacqueline calmly asked, “What happened this time?”  
  
Kim crossed her arms, refusing to face her partner. “Some jerk who rightfully owed me money called me a ‘stupid witch’ and ran off.”  
  
Jacqueline winced, feeling the sting of the insult despite not being there herself. “You know how people get when they’re upset. They’ll call you anything.”  
  
Kim sighed and slumped in her seat. “Yeah, but I’m the only person they’ll call _that_ and mean it personally. Even Angela’s safe ‘cause she’s kid and has Mr. Mifune to back her up.”  
  
“And you don’t have anyone?” Jacqueline asked, frowning. Looks she needed a refresher about the bonds she shared. “You have Kilik, Ox, Kid, and a few others in this very classroom. Especially me. When I found out you were a witch, I accepted you for who you are. Remember? You healed that puppy from the goodness from your heart. Right then and there, I knew you were unique and I decided to become your weapon partner... and your friend.”  
  
Kim made no move or facial expression, but she eventually caved in and smiled. “Yeah, you’re right, Jackie. Thanks.” She looked over the Demon Laturn’s shoulder and snickered. When Jackie tilted her head in confusion, she gestured behind her. Jaqueline turned around.  
  
Tsuji’s face was mere inches from hers. “Hi there.”  
  
Jackie froze up, staring into his chartreuse eyes. She long realized how close they were, and her face was getting redder and redder by the second. Eventually, the Demon Weapon shrieked and fell backwards. Kim burst out laughing, Tsuji chuckled at how cute that was, and Marcellus shook his head, feeling sorry for her.  
  
Jackie shot back to her feet, a blush still dusting her entire face. “D-Don’t you know about personal bubbles?!” She never got an answer. Instead, Tsuji revealed a bouquet of flowers from behind his back. “F-For me?”  
  
“It’s a little token of my appreciation for toleratin’ me during my brief emo phase.”  
  
Jacqueline accepted the bouquet, taken aback. No one had ever did this for her. Most guys paid attention to Kim. Not that she blamed them. Then she noticed something off about how the flowers looked. She touched one of the leaves and felt the synthetic material. “Are these fake?”  
  
Tsuji chuckled nervously. “Well, uh, see, what had happened was—” His premeditated lie went out the door when Jacqueline pursed her lips. He threw up his hand in defeat. “Okay, fine! They’re fake! C’mon, I’m low-key poor! It’s the thought that counts, right?”  
  
Jacqueline smiled. “Yeah, you’re right.”  
  
“I’ll leave you kids alone,” Kim announced, leaving her chair to bother somebody else.  
  
“And there’s actually a second reason I got those. To butter you up.” Tsuji rubbed the back of his head. Even though he rehearsed this, it was still a difficult matter. At least Rowena and Nayumi weren’t around to mock him. “Um, to further show my thanks, um, would you like to go on a date?”  
  
Jacqueline’s jaw dropped, her high-intensity blush coming back full-force. “O-oh Tsuji. I-I don't know what to say.” She then took note of the sling and calmed down, worry starting to supersede her feelings. “But what about your arm?”  
  
“Girl, you’d be surprised what a guy can do with one hand.” Some of the boys around laughed. Tsuji himself chuckled a little before he got serious. “It makes you feel better, I’ll ask Kim to heal me.”  
  
“Uh, don’t. She’ll charge you for it. She does that from time to time,” the Demon Lantern replied. His confused expression prompted her to explain herself, “She considers money as a sign of worth. I’m guessing it has to do with her being a Witch. That’s why we’re such good friends.” She rested her elbows on her desk and her cheeks in her palms. “I know what it’s like to have to hide something all the time.”  
  
Marcellus raised an eyebrow, catching the underlying meaning of her last sentence. “Really now?”  
  
Jacqueline turned beet red in the face, shooting up he hands and waving them erratically. “N-Not like that! Or anything like that!”  
  
“I wasn’t implying anything.”  
  
Tsuji chuckled heartily. “Ah, give her a break, Marce.”  
  
Marcellus shrugged his shoulders and decided to leave the two alone like Kim did. Walking down the steps, he saw Claudia dragging herself into the classroom. At first, he thought she was in pain, but then he noticed the book bag on her back. Curious, the Demon Bow approached her. “Are you all right?”  
  
“This thing weighs a ton!” Claudia dropped the book bag onto the floor and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. “My goodness, what on Earth does Caius haul in that thing?”  
  
“It’s bulging out quite a bit. It almost looks like it’s carrying for two.” After he said that, Marcellus looked directly at Claudia, hands in his pocket. Claudia smiled sheepishly, an embarrassed blush creeping up on her face. The teen sighed, getting the answer he thought. “Wow, that’s lazy.”  
  
Claudia deadpanned. “You’re talking?”  
  
He returned the look. “Yeah? Your point?” Only now did Marcellus notice why this conversation was going on in the first place. “Where’s your boy Caius anyway?”  
  
“The eye doctor called him to pick up his contact lenses, so he might run a little late,” she answered, heading over to her desk with Marcellus following her, “I doubt it. He wants to keep his perfect attendance.”  
  
“I see.” Marcellus crossed his arms and leaned against the empty desk beside hers, trying to figure out a way to initiate small talk. After what Joe spoke about, Marcellus resolved to do some things differently. “Sooo… I heard your folks are pretty famous. A legacy family, I think?”  
  
“Not just _a_ legacy family, the Moncharmins are classified as one of the 5 Great Legacy Families.” Claudia rested her elbows on the desk and her chin in her hands. “Do you know how much pressure that puts on me?”  
  
“No, I honestly don’t.” Marcellus stiffened a little, feeling as if he told a lie, probably because of his past. “I don’t even know what those are anyway.”  
  
Claudia proceeded to explain, remembering he hadn’t been around for even two months yet. “Legacy families are families or clans who’ve been a big help for the Academy, and the 5 Great Legacy Families are special titles granted by Lord Death himself. The top dogs. I said the Moncharmins, and that’s because we donate a lot of money to the Academy for stuff. Then the Olmett Family who’s been around since the beginning and developed our combat arts – not that you and I have any use for them. The Vladinghams, Caius’s family, who are war heroes and won important battles. The Nakatsukasa Clan, Tsubaki’s, discovered Soul Resonance and set the standards for Weapons like you and me. Last, there’s House Shuzen, and they created the first Death Scythes, meaning they were the first people to collect 99 souls and 1 Witch Soul.”  
  
Marcellus felt better because there was no comparison between them and the Chicago Gang. “Yikes. That _is_ a lot of pressure.” He ran a hand through his hair, shifting the lollipop in his mouth “In that case, Claudia, what do you plan on doing? Continuing the legacy or doing your own thing?”  
  
“I… wish I knew.” Claudia’s gaze dropped. “I could succeed my father in handling the family business, but I’m so ill-equipped to do that, it’s not even funny. I wanted to follow my Mom and her family’s entertainment tradition but…” she nervously bit her lip, repressing bad memories, “you know what’s what with that.”  
  
“What major did you pick when you signed up for here?”  
  
“Education. Teaching. In other words, the ‘I-have-no-clue-what-to-do-in-life’ major.” Her arms dropped to the desk’s surface, and she buried her head in them. The young Moncharmin clenched one of her fists. Her only skill found use in Song of the Souls, but that was a once-in-a-while occurrence. She was proud and happy at first, then after a while, Claudia realized how purposeless she truly was. “Right now, I just feel like I’m coasting through life, just waiting for something to happen.”  
  
“You got time. I mean, it isn’t all that bad, right?” Marcellus asked, trying to be comforting. Claudia never moved again or made a peep, and he could sense the self-loathing radiating from her. The Demon Bow mentally slapped himself. _“Uh, I guess it is. Way to go, Marcellus. The one time you initiate a conversation, you make someone feel bad.”_  
  
He refused to let this end on a bad note. “H-hey. Cheer up. You have time like I said. Come on, smile. You look prettier happy.”  
  
Claudia slowly lifted her head up to look at him and chuckled wryly. “Oh my. I’ve been wanting Soul to say that for the longest, and it’s you instead.”  
  
Marcellus took his lollipop and rolled it between two fingers, grinning slightly. “He’s not as cool as you think.”  
  
Claudia giggled, lightly blushing out of flattery. “All right, all right. I’ll do it because you asked.” She took her compact mirror and proceeded to fix herself up. Marcellus put his lollipop back in his mouth and gave himself a high-five.  
  
_“A step in the right direction.”_  


* * *

  
  
_Month 3, Week 1, Day 1 (Monday, March 2th)_  
  
In the campus gym, Tsuji performed arm and shoulder exercises as part of his rehabilitation. His stitches had been removed the past Friday. Yesterday, Nygus told him the sling could go too. As he did his exercises, he hoped she’d tell him he was off the injured list too. Having worked out religiously the whole week, Tsuji considered himself ready, and he wanted to try out his Enchanted Eyes in the field of battle. Besides, it wasn’t his shooting arm that was hurt.  
  
After he completed a set, Nygus finally returned, holding a clipboard. “All right, Tsuji. I’m proud to announce I’ve taken you off the injured list.” She watched the boy’s face light up like the morning sun. “Though, until you’ve made a full recovery, you are restricted to missions ranked C or below. Got that?”  
  
“Good enough for me!” Tsuji grinned excitedly. _“Now then, to find one.”_  
  
…  
  
And find one, he did. As soon as he finished rehab, Tsuji dragged Marcellus to the mission board and caught Caius and Claudia before they departed for one they picked. Thus, the four teamed up to slay some Kishin Eggs in Honduras’ interior highlands.  
  
“Whoo, baby! The Cobra Island duo is back in action!” Tsuji shouted loud enough to make his voice echo throughout the land.  
  
Caius deadpanned. “Must you bring that up?” He brought his hand up to adjust his glasses but stopped when he remembered he was breaking in his new contacts. Caius grabbed his lance and removed the blunt end from the ground. “Alright, Claudia, what we have here is an opportunity to test out my new applications of Soul Blaze.”  
  
Tsuji glanced at Caius from the corners of his eyes, twirling his bow. “So this basically glorified practice for you too, huh?”  
  
“That is correct.”  
  
Tsuji yawned in a bored manner; Caius never caught on to that. The Bow Meister wasn’t here to watch them. “Yeah, you do that.” He turned and headed off in another direction, heading straight to where Marcellus sensed other souls.  
  
Caius was somewhat glad he left. With this peace and quiet, he could focus better. He summoned blue fire and held it in an open palm, staring right into it. Ever since he bought the book Katrina wrote, he’d read it whenever he could. He practically had half of the pages memorized. “I always wondered what it meant when they said ‘an innate ability that allows us to resonate with the environment.’ It’s all because a Vladingham’s soul emits the Creation Wavelength, which breaks down ‘boundaries.’ For us, it’s the ‘boundary’ between our Soul Wavelength and nature.”  
  
Claudia’s reflection appeared on the lance’s blade, and she titled her head. “I don’t get it.”  
  
Caius clenched his fist to extinguish the flame. “Everything in nature emits a wavelength, however small it is. Our Creation Wavelength lets us resonate with nature and produces Soul Blaze to use at our command.”  
  
“Okay, so my understanding is you want to put my weapon form on fire?” Her voice grew softer and softer. A lump formed in her throat, nervous, and she forced it down. From classes, she knew it was possible for a Demon Weapon to get hurt in weapon form. Third-degree burns did not sound appealing to her. “I mean, won’t that hurt me?”  
  
“Don’t worry. According to the book, it’s impossible for a Vladingham to hurt him or herself with Soul Blaze, including possessions on hand, and it says they can’t be extinguished until the flames leave our bodies.” To Caius, that explained why water never dowsed his hands or why his books did not burn when he was out that fateful day two years ago. “But, truth be told, I had no idea it’s actually common practice for Meisters to ignite our Weapons for combat.”  
  
Claudia smiled at him; he looked better and better with every passing day since the fight with Project Omega. “Well, I’m happy that you’re learning more about them.” She then saw a troll hurtling toward them. She grinned, her image disappearing. “Shall we hurry and dispatch these hideous beasts?”  
  
“Let’s.” The Vladingham summoned his Soul Blaze as blue fire swirled around his forearms. Taking a deep breath, the wavelength flames travelled to his lance. Claudia winced a little, feeling the heat, but for the sake of being a better Weapon for Caius, she took it. Eventually, she got used to it, and her whole lance was engulfed in his Soul Blaze. Caius focused on the troll as it jumped at him. Swinging in an arc, flames billowed behind the lance. Caius cut and burned the troll at the same time, the Kishin Egg landing on its stomach behind him.  
  
“That felt fine, Claudia?” Caius asked.  
  
“Y-Yeah. I’m fine,” Claudia responded, “I barely feel it now.”  
  
“Good—”  
  
He was silenced when he heard flesh being pierced. Whipping around, Caius saw an orange arrow lodged in the Kishin Egg’s head. Tsuji was behind him, a foot on another’s head, resting his elbow on his propped knee. Several other trolls tumbled down, all with arrows stuck in their bodies. “Took ‘em out already. You should be quicker than that.” He ignored Caius’s shocked expression and instead focused on the red and orange bow in his hand, a representation of the Enchanted Eyes’ power. _“And this is just the first day. I’m gonna get better and better.”_  
  
As Tsuji shut off the Enchanted Eyes, Marcellus released an exhausted yawn. “Mission complete, guys. Let’s head back home,” the older male said. Whistling, the Bow Meister pranced away.  
  
Caius stood there frozen for a few seconds, then slumped over. “I didn’t even get to try out my new tricks,” he almost whined.  


* * *

  
  
_Month 3, Week 1, Day 2 (Tuesday, March 3th)_  
  
Blackstar blocked a Kishin Egg’s strike with his forearm, scoffing at how easy this was. He batted it away and thrust the handle of his chain-scythe into its throat, disorienting it. Jumping up, the ninja delivered a spin kick to the Kishin Egg’s face to turn it around. “It’s all over.” Landing, one of Blackstar’s fists crackled with his soul wavelength, ready to jam it into the Kishin Egg’s spine.  
  
“You are _so_ mine!”  
  
As Blackstar took a large step forward, Tsuji leaped above the assassin and fired a single arrow. The force of the shot pushed the monster completely of Blackstar’s range, causing him to fall over and hit the ground. Tsuji followed it up with more arrows before he landed beside the downed Blackstar. The arrows then exploded, engulfing the monster in a burst of red and black hellfire. Tsuji stood there, admiring his work.  
  
"You had no business getting in our way!" Tsuji noticed Blackstar lying on the ground with a blank expression on his face, staring out to where his target formerly was. "Oh, hey, Blackstar! Did you finish up?"  
  
Blackstar pushed himself up. “Tch. I guess I'm done now."  
  
Tsuji smiled brightly and shut off his Enchanted Eyes. “Cool. Kid did cleanup, so we’re all done here.” He gestured over to the approaching Shinigami. The Bow Meister turned on his heel and casually walked off. “Let’s get home in time for dinner. I’m starving here!”  
  
Blackstar watched Tsuji walk away. His pride was a little hurt at how he just waltzed in, stole his kill, and acted like nothing happened. But that was the least of his concerns. Tsuji never acted like that before. It reminded Blackstar of himself during his worst days before coming to terms with Mifune and the Will of the Nakatsukasa. The Star Clan boy turned to Kid. “Guys. Be honest, did I use to—”  
  
Kid, Liz, and Patty’s response was immediate. “Yes.”  


* * *

  
  
_Month 3, Week 1, Day 3 (Wednesday, March 4th)_  
  
Blackstar was reluctant to team up with Tsuji after witnessing his strange behavior yesterday, but Maka requested their aid for a certain mission. In Costa Rica, a group of Evil Humans, the Knights of Dishonor, terrorized the streets. They moved in unison like a military unit, knightly armor animated by the blackness within them. Thrashing tendrils seeped out from the gaps in their armor. Maka, Blackstar, and Tsuji faced them, weapons at the ready.  
  
“Let’s go, Blackstar. Tsuji, you stay behind and cover us!”  
  
Maka and Blackstar sprinted at the Knights of Dishonor, leaving a displeased Tsuji behind. The Evil Humans stood as one, forming a wall, and sent out their tendrils. Bobbing and weaving to avoid them, the meisters got close enough and bisected two Knights of Dishonor, forcing the others to scuttle away and break their wall formation. Maka and Blackstar turned around, back-to-back, witnessing tendrils surrounding them from all sides.  
  
Whistling sounds were heard as orange arrows pinned most of these tendrils to the ground. Reacting immediately, Maka and Blackstar sliced off the appendages and cut down a few more Knights of Dishonor. The Evil Humans backpedaled to regroup themselves, having lost of a few of their members already. Maka and Blackstar prepared to dash, to keep up the pressure, when a flurry of arrows passed them. The Knights of Dishonor dodged them.  
  
“Careful, Tsuji!” Maka called out. “Don’t shoot with our backs turned!”  
  
Tsuji sighed, shifting his weight to one foot. _“Oh, this can go so much faster than this.”_ He watched Maka and Blackstar duke it out with the remaining Knights of Dishonor. He constantly clenched and unclenched his grip around his bow. _“My bow equivalent of a trigger finger is itching, man.”_ Just then, a Knight of Dishonor noticed him and rushed him. A grin appeared as he licked his lips. “About time.”  
  
At that moment, the image of the Kishin Egg that attacked him and Rowena replaced that of the Knight.  
  
Tsuji snapped.  
  
So many arrows were fired into the Knight of Dishonor, chips of armor and blood flew outward, leaving a distorted mess on the ground. Tsuji wasn’t done there. Spotting the others occupied by Maka and Blackstar, he pulled back the bowstring and fired multiple arrows simultaneously. He didn’t care where they struck, as long as they hit, he was satisfied.  
  
Maka and Blackstar were in the middle of his barrage, barely avoiding the friendly fire. “ _Hey. Tsuji_!” Blackstar yelled out, blocking an arrow with the Enchanted Sword. “What’s your problem?! This isn’t part of the plan at all!”  
  
“You’re takin’ too long killing those bastards!” Tsuji retorted. Finding this too dangerous, Maka and Blackstar rolled out of the way. The Knights of Dishonor cut their losses and hurried away to lick their wounds. Tsuji ran up to where Maka and Blackstar were, but by the time he did, the Evil Humans escaped. “Damn it. Gotta chase ‘em down.”  
  
Before he even took a step, Maka extended her scythe to stop him. “Gee. And I wonder why we have to now,” the Scythe Meister said sarcastically, glaring at the marksman.  
  
Blackstar stood in front of Tsuji, scowling. He no longer could keep quiet about this. “Okay, Tsuji, I let this slide last time because I thought you were going through a phase. Now, you’re just being a jerk. Why are you even going on missions with us if all you’re gonna do is put us in danger trying to take ‘em by yourself? People get killed with that kind of miscommunication!”  
  
Tsuji scoffed, exchanging looks of disbelief between Maka and Blackstar. He backed up a little to gain some space. “Why’re you guys throwin’ salt? I did my job!”  
  
“You did it with a lousy attitude!” Blackstar contended, pointing at him accusingly. “You nearly shot both me and Maka! We’d never hurt our own comrades!” He formed a fist, fighting the urge to punch some sense into the rookie. “What is up with you? First, you’re all sad and junk, now this? I don’t like it. This is not how an Academy student is supposed to act.”  
  
Tsuji gritted his teeth, narrowing his eyes as they glowed from irritation. “Things happened, and I adjusted. But don’t worry about that. Right now, I’m doing what I’m supposed to. Don’t like it? Tough. Now c’mon. While we’re hearing talking about me, those Evil Humans are somewhere else.”  
  
Tsuji began to walk away, but the minute he brushed past Blackstar, the assassin grabbed ahold of him. They never locked eyes, and Maka sensed the malevolence coming from the both of them. She readied her scythe in the event a fight broke out. “Look here, that old dude is your father, so I know you know the stuff he taught us. If you’re trying to collect souls and work on that new power of yours, fine, but do it in a way others can’t get caught up in it!”  
  
Tsuji remained eerily quiet for a few seconds before tearing his arm away from Blackstar. “Fine then. I’ll fly solo. Come get me when you guys are done.” He turned and walked off in the opposite direction.  
  
Blackstar sighed, placing one hand on his hip and scratching his head with the other. Maka activated her Soul Perception and spotted several Evil Souls in the distance. “Come on, Blackstar. Forget about him. We have work to do.” The Scythe Meister ran off, hoping her longtime friend would follow her.  
  
Blackstar looked down to the Enchanted Sword, prompting Tsubaki’s reflection to appear on the blade. “Hey, Tsubaki? I didn’t sound like a hypocrite, did I? I mean, it’s like I told that deer. I want to shoulder everyone’s despair and help them stand up to their fears.” He looked off in the direction Tsuji stormed off to. “I didn’t see Tsuji just then. I saw someone following the Path of a Demon like me long ago. Did I say the right stuff? Did I do the right thing?”  
  
Tsubaki followed Blackstar’s line of sight and then looked at him, offering one of her bright and sunny smiles, a ray of comfort and reassurance. “Blackstar, if you didn’t, then you certainly put him back on the right road.”  


* * *

  
  
Tsuji roared as he sprinted toward the sole Knight of Dishonor, firing arrows like a man possessed. The monster batted away most of them with its tendrils and shot them out. The archer screamed as the tendrils hit him, sending him backwards and taking away more of his strength.  
  
_Hold nothing back  
This is what you wanted_  
  
“H-Hey, Tsuji? You okay?” Marcellus asked in a careful tone. The direct hits weren’t an issue. Tsuji was fighting uncharacteristically foolishly, charging head-on knowing he wielded a bow-and-arrow.  
  
“Be quiet,” the boy replied sharply, head down and assuming a track runner’s stance, “I got this. I ain’t letting no fodder beat me.” He broke out in a dead sprint, strafing left and right to avoid the long tendrils. He didn’t even see the actual target. Just the ugly mug of that nightmare-inducing Kishin Egg, and its sharp teeth and smug grin. Batting a tendril away with his bow, he fired a single arrow. Struck dead in its face, the Knight of Dishonor fell back with a screech, tendrils flailing. Tsuji jumped up, spinning end over end, and slammed his heel into the lodged arrow.  
  
_Lay waste to all you hate  
Make them remember your name, your power_  
  
Tsuji repeatedly stomped his foot in the creature’s face, driving the arrow further and further into its skull, reducing to it bloody paste. Maniacal cackles echoed throughout the area, Tsuji unable to stop himself. To him, it wasn’t a run-of-the-mill Kishin Egg, it was the one who nearly killed him five years ago. His body shivered with ecstasy with each stomp.  
  
_Show no mercy  
Fear is a nonfactor_  
  
“Yes! I’m no longer afraid! Of anything or you!” Tsuji kept at it, the Knight’s blood splattering everywhere. Smiling like a killer and laughing like a madman, it was sweet revenge, catharsis to him.  
  
To Marcellus, it was mindless slaughter. His throat ran dry at the sight of his meister throwing away all regard like this. “This is just… awful.” He had to do something to stop this. Mustering all the courage he could, Marcellus reverted to his human form. Feeling the lack of weight in his shooting hand, Tsuji ceased his onslaught as Marcellus grabbed him. “ _Cut it out, Tsuji_!” The Demon Bow yelled, forcing him to face him.  
  
Tsuji’s eyes widened, surprised at Marcellus’s newfound audacity.  
  
“At first, I thought you were blowing off steam. Then, I thought you were being a showoff like on occasions. Then you got overzealous. Now _this_?! What is the matter with you?!” He tightened his grip on the younger male’s shoulders, trying to get his point across. “Blackstar’s right. He can be a showoff too, but I’ve never seen him act like a reckless monster.”  
  
For a while, Tsuji stood there dumbfounded. Then, he shut off his Enchanted Eyes, and all of his violent compulsions vanished, making way for guilt. Marcellus released him, and Tsuji brought a hand up to clutch the side of his face. “Gah… Sorry, man, I did lose myself there. I was following the voice in my head, and it told me to go crazy. I kept seeing that damn monster!”  
  
Marcellus crossed his arms, thinking. “Hm. So this must be the ‘test’ they talked about. I guess the Enchanted Eyes want you to let go of that subconscious fear.” He gave his partner a wry smile. “But let’s do it in a more orderly and sane manner, okay?”  
  
Tsuji laughed lightly, which helped ease the guilt of his actions. “That’s a promise.” He covered his mouth and coughed several times, clearing his throat afterwards. “That came outta nowhere. Man, let’s find the others and roll out already.”  
  
One thing ran through both of their minds: how were they going to this pass this ‘test’ and master the Enchanted Eyes without Tsuji losing himself in the process?  
  
_D…t…li… st… t… em!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I’ve probably said before, I’d appreciate feedback. If some lines sound iffy, hypocritical, lacking, or anything, let me know! Since I still can’t seem to secure a stable beta reader or editor for this fic, all I have to go is my own judgment, research, and whatever feedback I get from you guys. I want this story to be good now.
> 
> Til next time.


	40. Back and Back Again: The Workings of Fate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a day of reminiscing for the Ricardsens and the Ardsens. Even so, it appears Tsuji's condition is worsening, and the school will soon be visited by an unwanted guest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.

**Back and Back Again: The Workings of Fate**  
  
 _Month 3, Week 1, Day 4 (Thursday, March 5th)_  
  
“I see.”  
  
Thursday morning, Tsuji and Marcellus grabbed Noel after they got up and dressed to talk about what happened the past few days. Noel sat in his armchair, pondering over the news. Tsuji was showing early signs of loss of control like himself and Shannon, yet he claimed to be doing exactly what the voices in his head instructed. Noel found that strange as things were considerably more constructive in his case and Shannon’s cases. Then again, Marcellus’s conjecture that Tsuji’s trial was about facing his subconscious fears might be the reason why it sounded so odd. No users of the Eyes went through the same exact thing after all.   
  
“It's best if you guys stop using the Enchanted Eyes until we can figure something out,” Noel declared. He wasn’t about to risk his son’s wellbeing or anyone else’s. “You also owe your friends an apology and some context.”  
  
“Fair enough.” Tsuji approved the decision, for he could tell the difference. With the Eyes off, he was his normal self, clear of mind and in control. On, the voices whispered all kinds of things and primal urges were brought to the surface. Like he said before, it was almost like he was in a new body using the Enchanted Eyes.  
  
Marcellus lounged on the couch, feeling the impulse to fall asleep even in the midst of an important conversation. To prevent that, he spoke up, “Hey, Noel? You said it took you years to master yours, right? When and how'd that happen?”  
  
Noel looked up to the ceiling, gathering his thoughts. “It was my last year at the Academy. 19-years-old.” The feelings died down as he recalled his unpleasant childhood and adolescence. The Enchanted Eye played on his weaknesses, instability, and violence impulses, causing him to aggressively lash out at everyone who so much as looked his way. He blamed it all on his abusive parents; they created his fractured mind at the time. Even today, Noel wondered why Lord Death put so much faith in him despite the danger and ruckus caused within his school walls. “My days as the rampaging ‘Bloody Shield’ were coming to an end, and I partnered with Rosalind. All of a sudden, my head was clearer and I could hear someone trying to help me. We mastered the Enchanted Eye and I was cured.”  
  
“Man, we need a breakthrough like that.” Marcellus put in another bright red lollipop, his new favorite flavor. “Sooner all this drama ends, the sooner we can move on with our lives.”  
  
“I’m sayin’.” Stomach rumbling a little, Tsuji shot out of his seat, intending to get an orange. As soon as he did, he wobbled, his vision suddenly becoming unfocused. “W-Whoa.” He fell back into the couch, holding his head.  
  
Marcellus looked at him in confusion. “Something wrong?”  
  
Tsuji inhaled and exhaled, regaining equilibrium. “Got up too quick and the room started spinning on me.”  
  
Around this time, Nayumi and Rowena came down from upstairs, dressed and ready for school. Seeing them, Noel spoke, “Nayumi, Marcellus, go ahead and go to the car. Rowena, Tsuji, we need to talk for a moment.” The Demon Weapons nodded and obediently left the home. Noel gestured his daughter to take seat by her twin and she did so. “I talked to Lord Death early this morning.” He gritted his teeth and dug his fingers into the armrest. “Like I suspected, your mother died of unnatural causes.”  
  
The twins’ lips were pursed into a thin line of indifference. “You mean she was killed.” Their tone was simple, give them the confirmation straight.   
  
Noel sighed. They deserved to know this more than anyone. “More than likely. One of the Kishin Eggs in the Cambridge attack bit Rosalind. We believe something from that – poison, a virus, whatever – got worse and worse until years later it caught her off guard, leading to her unexpected demise. Then there’s the fact the attack was orchestrated.”  
  
He’d never forget it. That figure. The cause behind the attack and the deaths of Rosalind Waldo, his wife, and Yvette Olmett, the sister of a close friend.  
  
...  
  
 _Rosalind sprinted down the road with such speeds that, upon collision with the shadow Kishin Eggs, they were all thrown into the air as she kept going. Driving the tip of her shield into the asphalt, this allowed her to perform a sharp turn. Briefly engaging a track runner’s stance, she shot herself into the air toward one of the Kishin Eggs, driving her fist into one of its mouths.  
  
Another tried to pounce on Rosalind midair but wound up attacking an afterimage. Once it disappeared, Rosalind appeared directly behind it, wrapping her arms around both heads and snapping the necks simultaneously. She then grabbed the limp body and threw it to one last shadow Kishin Egg, sending both bodies into a light pole that immediately bent over on contact.   
  
Rosalind landed on the ground, looking ahead as some other shadow Kishin Eggs hit the street too. The woman flung her shield at them with enough force to make it spin like a buzz-saw. The weapon sliced through all of them, turned around, and returned to its place on Rosalind’s arm.   
  
Flipping her ponytail over her shoulder, the Shield Meister stood up straight. She surveyed the area, watching the monsters’ bodies dissolve. It was a good thing the civilians had the sense to evacuate the area. Less trouble for her. “Is that all of them?”  
  
The manhole cover behind her flew open. “Behind you,” Noel announced nonchalantly as another shadow Kishin Egg tried to blindside his wife.  
  
Without warning and without facing it, Rosalind drove her elbow into one of its mouths, compressing its neck and shattering the teeth. The creature went tumbling backwards, only stopping when it topple over a mailbox. “Got it,” she replied, arching her back to stretch it. “You know, as pissed as I am, I’m kinda glad to be able to cut loose. Old girl’s still got it.”  
  
“We’re not old, Rosalind,” Noel replied matter-of-factly as he reverted to a human form, “I’m just 37 and you 36.”  
  
Noel’s phone rang and he immediately answered it. “Clorinda, how are things at your end?”  
  
“N-Not good.”  
  
Noel frowned, recognizing the grimness behind her choking voice. Staying quiet, he heard the distinct sound of crying on the other line. Knowing Clorinda, she was trying to sound professional despite her emotions going haywire. Noel put her on speakerphone so Rosalind could hear. “What happened?”  
  
They heard Clorinda take a deep breath to calm herself down, now speaking normally. “They ambushed me and my sister. Yvette… isn’t breathing.”  
  
Rosalind and Noel silently gasped, looking each other in shock. “We’ll be right there. Tell us your location,” Noel instructed. So this was more serious than he thought. These mysterious monsters were out to kill whoever they could. Once Clorinda gave them the coordinates, the husband and wife duo raced off.   
  
When they passed the mailbox, the shadow Kishin Egg sprung out and grabbed Rosalind. Using its undamaged mouth, it bit down on her shoulder. Royal blue eyes widening, she grit her teeth to suppress the pain. Noel grabbed the monster by its neck and pried it off of his wife, proceeding to crush its head.  
  
“Son of a bitch, that stings!” Rosalind cried out, gripping the area beneath the wound to ebb the flow of pain. Before they could move on, her wound had to be dressed up.  
  
At a nearby rooftop, a cloaked individual crept up to the edge, looking at the Kishin Egg Souls floating all over the street with Noel and Rosalind in the middle of it all. “I see that went nowhere fast.” The person heard shuffling behind him. Turning around, it was another shadow Kishin Egg, laughing as it motioned a Human Soul toward one of its mouths.  
  
The main in the cloak snatched the soul out of its grasp. “What are you doing with a Human Soul?” His baritone voice stayed at a drone, but the Kishin Egg withered in its spot, frightened. A sign of guilt, he knew. Suddenly, the shadow Kishin Egg was split down the middle, dying instantly. The cloaked person released a frustrated sigh. “You fool. I expressly told you not to take anyone’s life, yet you deliberated disobeyed me. Now I must abort the experimentation.”  
  
The refined voice held one hand up prayerfully. “My condolences go out to the departed.” Done with that, he jumped off.  
  
Out of the corner of Noel’s and Rosalind’s eyes, they spotted a golden-plated, dark purple robe. _  
  
...  
  
Rowena snarled and stood up, looking at her father dead in his eyes. “Old Man, if there's anything we can do, let us know.” She punched a fist into her open palm. “I wanna bring the asshole who killed Old Lady to justice.”  
  
“I will. Right now, you kids worry about school and your jobs. Understand?”  
  
“Yes, sir.”  
  
The twins left the house and headed to the car. Noel, meanwhile, looked over to the fireplace and at the picture frames atop it. One showed him and Rosalind, a young Rowena on his shoulders and Tsuji in her arms. The one beside it showed Amagai and Rukia smiling brightly while he himself was indifferent. Within weeks, he lost three of the very few people he considered friends, the ones who cared for him even when he was ousted as a monster, a menace to society, the ‘Bloody Shield.’  
  
...  
  
 _“Please no. Please no.”  
  
Noel sprinted as fast as he could, having long abandoned the rescue squad sent to answer the S.O.S. Heart pounding in his chest, the man reached a river, the last obstacle to cross. “W-What happened to the bridge?!” The remains of a white bridge lied in a straight line, the river water passing over the stone.  
  
Gritting his teeth, Noel descended the gently sloped, snow-covered artificial riverbank. He then started hurrying across the rubble, uncaring of the cold water. He needed to get there now. His persistence paid off, and he made it to the other side, continuing to run along the trail.   
  
“Please still be alive. Please still be alive.” As much as he hoped that was the case, the realist in Noel told him not to bet on that. Finally arriving at the top of the trail, words left Noel. A giant, spiraling tree of sharp needles was in the middle of a destroyed village. Even in the heavy rain, Noel could see bodies skewered and hanging from them.  
  
Slowly, Noel advanced to the village full of destroyed homes, wreckage, and dead bodies. It was a true massacre if he ever saw one. “This is awful.”   
  
Once he reached level ground, he saw them. Amagai and Rukia near the tree of needles, embracing each other in messy, undignified death. Screwing his eyes shut to block out the sight, the man collapsed to his knees. “No...Why?” The reality settled in – his friends were gone. Lives tragically cut short along with the rest of the Vladinghams. Releasing a roar of anger, Noel punched the ground, snow kicking up from impact as thunder boomed.   
  
He stayed like this for a while until he heard the voices of the rescue squad in the distance. He reopened his eyes, unbridled rage building within him.   
  
“Who did this?”_  
  
...  
  
“This isn’t over, that’s for sure,” Noel stated, turning to walk out, “Not by a long shot.”  
  


* * *

  
  
“—I understand if you think it don’t justify my attitude, but it is what it is, and I’m sorry.”  
  
Blackstar and Tsuji jogged side-by-side, ahead of most of the other students on the running track. The latter first apologized to Maka and then practically had to run a marathon to catch up to Blackstar to do the same. Tsuji huffed and puffed but nonetheless maintained his pace as he waited Blackstar’s response.  
  
“Meh. I guess it’s cool,” the Star Clan boy replied, keeping his eyes forward. He thought Tsuji was slowing him down. “Just make sure to put a leash on that stuff and not act like an arrogant bastard.”  
  
Tsuji cracked a grin. “Like you?”  
  
“Forget you, man!” Blackstar playfully shoved the archer as the two shared a laugh. Seeing as they were on their last lap, the Shadow Weapon user’s grin widened. He looked at Tsuji, a competitive glint shining his eyes, as he nodded his head forward. “C’mon, let’s race. Show me what you’re made of.”  
  
Tsuji was never one to deny a challenge. “You’re on!”   
  
Without a countdown, the two boys accelerated to their maximum speed. They were neck-and-neck for the first few meters, but Blackstar started to surge ahead. Seeing the finish line come closer and closer and hearing Tsuji’s rapid footfalls behind him, Blackstar laughed victoriously. The assassin slowed down after he crossed Sid. “Looks like I win!”  
  
Tsuji came to a stop afterwards, hunched over and hands on his knees. Sweat poured down his face as he coughed, unable to completely catch his breath. Blackstar’s grin slowly faded, noticing his condition looked as bad as Ox, Hiro, and Liz all the way in the back. “You okay?”  
  
Tsuji placed a hand over his mouth and coughed some more. “Y-Yeah.” Forcing himself to stand up straight, he then shot a hand up to his chest, wincing a little. “Damn. Chest tightened up on me.”  
  
 _Y…r… n… ger!_  
  
Blackstar narrowed his eyes. Now that he got a better look at Tsuji, his skin looked whiter than usual even in the sun. “Are you _sure_?” When his response was more coughing, that settled it. Blackstar grabbed Tsuji by his arm. “Come on, man, we’re going to Ms. Nygus. Something’s wrong with you.”  
  
Dragging a protesting Tsuji to the Dispensary, Mira checked on Tsuji. After a point, Mira went outside the door with a clipboard in hand to interview Blackstar. As they talked, she wrote things down. “So what did you notice about him?”  
  
“A simple sprint left him gasping for air like he was out of shape, he said his chest tightened on him, and his clothes are wet with sweat from just warmups,” Blackstar answered, crossing his arms and pressing his back against the wall, “And have you looked at his skin recently?”  
  
“I did.” Mira jotted down some notes. She also recalled Tsuji getting dizzy from simply sitting down just seconds ago. “Well, I’m glad you brought him here, Blackstar. It’s definitely something we need to diagnose. You can go on back now. I’ll take it from here.”  
  
Blackstar pushed himself off of the wall and walked off to return to P.E. Mira headed back into the dispensary, seeing Tsuji sitting back holding his hand. His eyes darted all over the place, unfocused. “Is your head bothering you, Tsuji?”  
  
“No.” The light colors of the Dispensary walls and ceiling were oppressive, straining his eyes. “It’s so bright in here.”  
  
“The curtains are closed.”  
  
“Really? I never noticed.”  
  
Mira wrote down something else and then walked to the back. “This is strange. Mental and physical signs of illness?” Mira wanted to address the worst case scenario. Spiritual damage could bring about these symptoms in certain cases. So she managed to get an X-ray of Tsuji and anxiously waited for the results.  
  
His soul came up in perfectly healthy condition. His anatomical structure looked fine as well. “Huh.” Mira supposed she should be relieved. This officially debunked her worst fear. She glanced at the clipboard again. “Shortness of breath, excessive sweating, coughing, loss of color, dizziness, a brief bout of chest pain, and possible lightheadedness.”  
  
She went over to the medicine cabinet to pick out the right prescription. “I pray he hasn’t contracted a really bad virus.” In the glass’s reflection, she saw Tsuji up and coherently walking around. “Just in case, I’ll put him on some medicine, put him back on the injured list, and have him spend the downtime resting and rehydrating.”   
  


* * *

  
  
Marcellus lied on the couch in the living room, staring at the ceiling. He had some homework to finish but did not feel the compulsion to do it. The house was unusually quiet. Tsuji was resting in his room, Rowena was out with Kilik, and Nayumi was grocery shopping. The events of the past few weeks replayed in his mind. How uncanny things had changed in such short time. More incredibly, today was his second month – and two days – as an Academy student. “This is surreal,” Marcellus mumbled, “This kind of stuff only happens in fiction.”  
  
The front door unlocked and opened. “I’m home~” Nayumi skipped in and bumped her hip against the door to close it, locking it again afterwards. After setting the items in the kitchen, she returned to the living room to see the Demon Bow. She chuckled. “The candy store didn’t close down for good, did it?”  
  
“No, and thank God it hasn’t,” Marcellus answered as he crossed his legs at the ankles, Nayumi walking up beside him. “Bored already?”  
  
“Maybe.” Without warning, Nayumi crawled up and lied down, her back against Marcellus’s stomach, and stared at the ceiling with him. For some time, the two Demon Weapons stayed like that, enjoying each other’s wordless company. Then, out of the blue, Nayumi asked, “Marcey? You like it here?”  
  
“It’s certainly better than the alternative.”   
  
Nayumi giggled. “Without a doubt.” Laying her head back against his chest, her smiled faded, reminiscing the unhappier times before she met the Ricardsens, before Marcellus. Her hatred towards her parents never waned. “You know, I'm glad to have met you. You were the first person to show me any kind of human kindness.”  
  
Marcellus groaned, bringing one hand up to rub his head. “Oh, can the mushy gunk, Nayumi. Do we need to hold hands while you’re at it?”  
  
“Uh. No,” she replied blankly, “Besides, don't act like you don't feel the same.”  
  
“Well, even now, the whole thing is weird to me. A Canadian thief and a black gangster bond through their negativity and run away together. How's that work?”  
  
“You know how it went.”  
  


* * *

  
  
 _Chicago, Illinois – Two Years Earlier_  
  
...  
  
 _"Son, these are the tricks of the trade on how to conduct a deal."_  
  
He wanted to learn how to be a lawyer instead.   
  
_"Sweetie, I've already contacted your coach. Your father says this is more important."_  
  
The team lost the basketball game, and their shot at the championship, because he didn't go to practice that day.   
  
_"Soon enough, Mr. Ardsen, I'll be speaking to you across from that desk. You are the next don of the Chicago Gang, and we are you left- and right-hand men."_  
  
He didn't care about any of that.  
  
Of all the teenagers in the world, why did fate impose this nightmare upon him?  
  
...  
  
...  
  
...  
  
Marcellus hated weekends.  
  
He also hated weekend nights.  
  
Firstly, weekends meant he was trapped inside Chicago Gang territory, the very region of the city he didn't want to be in. The large district stationed near the Port of Chicago felt like a cage to him – or, rather, a prison. As the son of Don Portis and Master Morgan, and therefore the next heir to the gang's chair, everyone wanted to see how he carried himself. He felt that people were constantly watching his every move. Marcellus already despised the underground lifestyle, but it seemed that was all he had.   
  
And, secondly, weekend nights were the most active in both a good and a bad sense. Good in that half of the Chicago Gang was probably out and about, and his mother and father were doing husband-and-wife matters. Bad in that the Other Side Gang was doing the same. Hence why Marcellus was stuck here. The last thing he wanted was to step outside his gang's boundaries and wind up face-to-face with Other Side gangsters wanting to kill him.   
  
Most people living normal lives would say Marcellus was crazy for cherishing school days. They didn't realize – well, he never told them; they were called personal issues for a reason – that those times were great reprieves from his gang life. He learned things he actually wanted to learn about. Talking with some friends at school was how he learned about his favorite game series _Mega Man_ , how he got into anime and manga, and how to play basketball. School was practically a safe haven.  
  
Living in fear of your life with nowhere to go and no way out. That was the life of Chicago Underground Association's Marcellus Ardsen.   
  
_"Don't I just have it good?"_ He thought bitterly, coming to a stop near the corner of a warehouse.   
  
The mid-October wind was chilly. Marcellus was grateful he was dressed for the Saturday night weather. He had on a thick, grey, unzipped hoodie, exposing the lighter, white jacket beneath it. Black denim jeans and white camp walker, high-top shoes finished his ensemble. With a heavy sigh, he flipped off his hood, rested his back against the wall, and slid down it until he was sitting on the ground.   
  
He heard faraway machines creaking with life. He deduced that to be both construction work and the new factory that was added to the territory some months ago. They were probably producing new products to sell on the black market; the Chicago Gang was famous, or infamous, for exporting and smuggling tech and machinery. To be honest, it was actually quite soothing. Marcellus felt that he could fall asleep here since he had virtually nothing else to do.  
  
However, the minute he closed his eyes, he heard a soft plop right beside him. He lazily cracked open one of his eyes to examine his new company. To his surprise, it was a little girl. What stood out the most was her purple hair that could have been seen from miles away. It hung in front of her face unkemptly, matching the dingy, loose clothes she wore – a robe, pants, and simple slip-on shoes. Randomly, she had a small bag in her hand that she laid right beside her.   
  
"You tired too?" Marcellus asked. He assumed she was a newcomer to the gang. Uncommon, but he had heard of recruits as young as thirteen enter gangs.  
  
"Be quiet." The girl replied brusquely, bringing her knees to her chest and hugging them, assuming a fetal position.   
  
"Well then." Marcellus yawned, unperturbed by her quiet but sharp tone. "Come around here often?"  
  
"I said be quiet. Leave me alone." The girl retorted, turning her head to glare at him. Her head was dropped in a manner that her hair covered and shaded her eyes. Well, partially. Marcellus could see a sole magenta eye among the forelocks, devoid of emotion or verve. "Just let time pass, okay?"  
  
Marcellus felt like he was looking in a mirror.   
  
For that reason and that reason alone, the gang prince had the inexplicable need to communicate with this young lass. "You have it rough too, huh?" He asked, angling his head toward her. His brownish-orange hair unintentionally produced the same effect as hers, shading his slate blue eyes and conveying the deep anguish resting inside his soul.   
  
The girl averted her eyes. "Tch. I wonder what gave that away."  
  
"People content with themselves don't go around resting on the sides of buildings." Marcellus replied matter-of-factly.   
  
She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, really?"  
  
"Name's Marcellus Ardsen." He shifted his head forward again. Since she didn't want to look at him, there was no point in him facing her.   
  
"Nayumi. Not giving you my surname."  
  
"So what's your life story?" Marcellus wondered if this was the part where older adults would light cigarettes as they endlessly rambled about each other's problems. It certainly seemed like that type of scenario to him. After all, Marcellus had nothing else to do. Neither did Nayumi, it appeared.  
  
"Since when did we get so buddy-buddy?" Nayumi asked. Her voice actually dropped in volume, not rise with agitation as expected. She sounded like someone who was tired of everything.   
  
"I don't know." Marcellus shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "I was just asking." Around this time, his temporary spark of interest in Nayumi was beginning to wane. Now, he was becoming increasingly more content with letting silence linger between them. Another yawn escaped him as he adjusted himself. There wasn't much comfort in sitting up against hard concrete and brick, but Marcellus didn't feel like moving. Apparently neither did Nayumi because she hadn’t really moved herself.   
  
For a good few minutes, the only noises around were the breeze and distant construction work. It was so peaceful that Marcellus almost dozed off several times. Though, he wanted to go all the way, not wake up a second right before sleep welcomed him. Just then, he heard a heavy jingling sound as something hit the ground. Curiously, he looked back to Nayumi and saw that her small bag had fallen out of her grasp. She was nodding off like he was.   
  
He was ready to dismiss it until he perceived a bright flash of gold coming from inside the bag. Leaning over, he opened it up and was greeted with an assortment of gold, sterling silver, and jewelry. Marcellus released a low, impressed whistle, knowing that this was quite a bit of money.   
  
"Hands off!"  
  
His whistle had alerted Nayumi. When he looked up, the girl had transformed one of her hands into an oversized hammerhead. Marcellus's eyes shrunk in fear as he retracted his hands and held them up, showing no signs of hostility. With her normal hand, Nayumi snatched up her bag from the ground.  
  
"Be careful around here with that," Marcellus cautioned, standing up. His sore body instantly felt relief. "This is gang territory. Any kid here who finds out you're carrying all that wealth won't hesitate to beat you senseless to get it."  
  
"Don't worry about me." Nayumi replied indignantly. A purple glow encompassed the hammerhead as it morphed back into a human hand. "I already took care of one punk. So, I think I'll be okay."  
  
Marcellus stared at her in disbelief, blinking. "Wait. You stole that?"  
  
"Do I look like someone who can afford this?" Nayumi deadpanned.  
  
"Touché." Then, something dawned upon the African-American. "...Where did you steal that from?"  
  
"From here." The Canadian girl replied without any hint of shame.  
  
Marcellus's jaw nearly fell off his face. It was bad enough she was hauling around that much gold, silver, and jewelry; someone might as well put a sign above her head announcing that for gangsters to see. Now, the situation was even worse knowing that this girl, Nayumi, had robbed the Chicago Underground Association. Someone was bound to find out if her claims of dealing with a gangster prior to the theft were true.   
  
"W-Why did you do that?!" Marcellus chastised. The last thing he wanted on his conscience was the gang taking this girl inside a shed and emptying magnums in her. "Do you know what you've gotten yourself into?!"  
  
"Well, I have to support myself somehow!" Nayumi growled, feeling as if this boy was lecturing her. "And, for the record, I honestly don't care. What matters is that I got the goods."  
  
"But can you escape though?" Marcellus sighed. He hoped to put some sense into this young girl. "In case you hadn't realized, you're deep into the Chicago Gang's territory."  
  
Her frustration with this boy was getting higher and higher. However, since he wanted to be so talkative, it was time to play a sort of game with him. "OK then, Mr. Smart Guy, how do I get out of here?" She asked, smirking tauntingly at Marcellus.  
  
"Oh, no, no." Marcellus held up his hands. "You got yourself in here, so get yourself out."  
  
"If you think that way, why were you so concerned about me earlier?"  
  
Marcellus felt himself involuntarily cringe. That was a heavy blow he had to endure. He was trying to reel this girl in and get his point across, but he wound up tripping over his own thread. Though, he had to give credit where credit was due – this girl had the practical smarts to survive the streets.   
  
He sighed again, wondering if he was unconsciously trying to break the world record for most sighs, well, sighed in an hour. "Well, I'm the next don in line for Chicago Gang, so basically, you've told me all the info I need to persecute you. But I don't want that; you're just trying to get by. Plus... well, I hate my position."  
  
Nayumi quirked a brow. "Why's that?"  
  
"The gang lifestyle..." Marcellus said contemplatively, looking up the night sky as he leaned back against the wall of the warehouse, "I don't like it. Way too much violence. Too much anarchy. A microcosm like this seems...diseased. It doesn't help that my parents are pushing this role on me a little too hard. I hate it. I hate it all." He clenched his fists and grounded his teeth, beginning to pull at his hair in an attempt to vent out his frustration. "This whole situation has made me _¬hate_ even little insignificant things that shouldn't bother me. I hate that I'm telling a total stranger all about this like you're some therapist! Everything _pisses me off_!"  
  
The normally calm and cool Marcellus slammed his fist on the wall behind him, panting heavily after he finished speaking. His adrenaline was started to run from the hatred coursing through him. The more he thought about it, about how he lacked the guts to do something about his situation and how uncaring his parents were, the worse he felt. With a long, heavy sigh, Marcellus slumped to the ground, hanging his head low. How miserable and pathetic he must look, he thought.  
  
"Everything is just so pointless, isn't it?"  
  
Marcellus slowly lifted his head to see Nayumi standing before him. She was grinning. The boy unconsciously pressed his back against the wall. Between how her hair draped over her face, how dull her eyes were, and how terrifyingly off her serenity was, Marcellus was genuinely creeped out by this girl. "W-what are you talking about?"  
  
"Life is just so wrong," Nayumi continued, her expression never changing, "We are told we have freedom, yet we really don't. People like you and me are trapped, just a bunch of puppets for other people to pull on our strings. At the same time, we are bounded by our affiliations. You really think the law cares if we hate being thieves or gangsters? Nope." Nayumi approached Marcellus, straddling his lap as she caressed his cheek. It appeared her words were getting to him; he had a hard time looking at her as he ruminated on the weight of her words.    
  
"We're nothing but criminals to be put behind bars. Fodder for the police to get their pay. There's no such thing as true justice. We may be victims of circumstances, but we aren't going beyond that. The rest of our pointless lives were determined at birth. Oh, we can try, but in the end, it's futile. Makes me wonder why I even bothered running away in the first place... Maybe fate wanted to experiment how long a lone little girl could survive before she perished." Her grin widened as Marcellus shivered. "And maybe it wanted to see how long until you cave from the pressure."  
  
This little girl had an amazingly good head on her shoulders to come up with stuff like that. Even though it wasn't related to her monologue, Marcellus just had to ask, "H-how old are you?"  
  
"Twelve."  
  
 _"Jesus Christ..."_ Here he was, talking to a twelve-year-old who apparently was a skilled jewel thief and went around preaching nihilism. "Well, I'm fifteen." And, yet, he knew way too much about the underground world and other adult subjects. "What... happened to you? Why are you like this?"  
  
Nayumi's grin slowly faded into oblivion, hanging her head as her hair shadowed her face. "I wanted to be normal. No, I had to help steal every day. I wanted to play games and have friends. No, I had to spend time with my parents learning how to infiltrate. I didn't want those kinds of responsibilities. No, they said it was my destiny forevermore." She sat up, placing tight fists on her lap. "I hope they rot in their jail cells... I hope their spirits never rest... Why do you think I never told you my last name? I don't _ever_ want to be associated with those bastards! I hope Satan has many punishments for them in Hell!" She clenched her fists even tighter, the knuckles turning white as she tried to keep her emotions in check, "But whatever... Nothing matters."  
  
Marcellus just stared at the young girl. He could totally relate to her. Both of them hated their parents, despised their professions, and were forced to grow up at young and tender ages. The more and more he talked with Nayumi, the more he realized how _miserable_ they were. "If nothing matters..." He cupped Nayumi's chin and forced her to look at him. "Then why are you crying?"  
  
True enough, tears were streaming down Nayumi's dull, unhappy eyes. Tears were symbols of emotion – proof that someone cared about something or someone else. They spoke more words than any sort of action. "You obviously cared enough to at least try and take care of yourself. If you ask me, that's pretty admirable. I don’t have the courage to steal anything."  
  
"So, if you hate it here, why stay? It's just causing you pain," Nayumi questioned, reaching up to grab his hand with both of hers. By now, she was significantly less hostile to Marcellus. Plus, he made her realize that she was going against the very nihilistic ideals she just talked about. Marcellus opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was another sigh as he looked down, unable to give a valid reason other than one of powerlessness. Nayumi closed her eyes, standing up as she continued holding his hand, "Come on. We're leaving."  
  
Marcellus's head snapped up. "What!?"  
  
"You're running away with me," Nayumi declared with finality.  
  
Marcellus couldn't honestly say he hadn't thought about leaving the gang. The problem was the bedlam that awaited after his actions. His mother would be heartbroken, his dad would be furious, and the other gang members would be shocked and appalled. He would forever be a fugitive to the Chicago Gang. Then, there was the Other Side Gang that knew full well who he was.   
  
"Come on. You can't tell me you really care about this place after what you've told me," Nayumi urged, tugging on his arm.   
  
She made a convincing argument. Maybe him running away was the scare Morgan and Portis needed to snap out of it. Perhaps he wouldn't be such a ball of restrained anguish and misery. Most optimistically, he might be able to live a new life away from this place. With one last sigh, Marcellus finally stood up, grasping Nayumi's hand more firmly.   
  
"You can have my last name. It's Ardsen in case you didn’t get it the first time." Marcellus informed her, remembering how adamantly Nayumi refused to tell him her family name. "You're with me from now on. That stuff you stole is pretty valuable. It'll last until we figure something out."  
  
Nayumi gave him a small smile, a genuine one. "We'll make a way."  
  
Marcellus couldn't help but smile back, a pure one of his own. "Let's go."  
  
The Chicago Gang never realized Marcellus was gone until it was too late. He and Nayumi were on the other side of the city by then. That would require crossing into Other Side Gang territory, and the resulting bloodshed would severely cripple the Chicago Gang's resources. Marcellus and Nayumi were able to avoid confrontation by picking the appropriate paths using the former's intimate knowledge of the city.   
  
Nonetheless, the Chicago Gang continued to waste their time sending search party after search party. Two hours had elapsed, and it started to pour rain. Activity was mitigated by the appearance of Mother Nature. Less and less people were out, the slick roads discouraged drivers, and the once-bright streetlights were dulled by the white rain.   
  
"I got them!" Nayumi announced as she threw herself out of an open vent on the side of a department store. After she landed, she tossed Marcellus a heavy rain coat while she garbed herself in a hooded poncho. As much as she hated using her thievery skills, she had to make an exception this time or else they would have frozen to death in the cold rain.   
  
"Thank you," Marcellus replied as he slipped it on.   
  
"Now what?" Nayumi asked as she and him exited the alley, walking along the sideway. Their footsteps splashed against the puddles forming on the concrete and asphalt.   
  
"It's probably best to pawn that stuff," Marcellus answered, referring to sack of gold, silver, and jewelry Nayumi kept in her possession, "It isn't fair, but without money, we're at a dead end."  
  
"I guess so."  
  
If Marcellus was right, the nearest pawn shop was ten minutes away by vehicle. Both he and Nayumi had no intention of walking the entire way in this downpour. The two tried their best to flag down a taxi or someone kind enough to provide a free ride. However, everyone seemed unconcerned of their plight. Their hopes were gradually dying away with each passing car.   
  
Then, they saw a cab approaching them. Their hopes were restored as they waved the vehicle down, and it continued to slow down.   
  
But it was decelerating for the pothole in the road. It hit it, causing the water to splash on Marcellus and Nayumi, and kept on going.  
  
An audible snarl escaped Nayumi's lips. If that cab had stopped, she would have smashed its window with her partial transformation. Even Marcellus saw that to be needlessly rude of the cab driver. The two exhaled sharply in unison as they sat on the edge of sidewalk, unable to do anything else.   
  
Nayumi scooted closer to Marcellus, hooking her arms around one of his, "Marcellus. I'm cold..."  
  
Marcellus placed a hand on hers, trying to be comforting, "Tough it out... like you said, we'll make a way..."  
  
"Do you need some help?"  
  
Marcellus and Nayumi looked up. There stood a man with orange and black hair, staring down at them with his only visible eye. He was carrying a black umbrella that shielded him from the rain. His car was parked nearby, and they saw two others peering at them through the windshield.   
  
The man nodded in the direction of his car. "Come on. You two will catch pneumonia out here." He said. Here was someone gracious enough to lend a hand, someone who cared enough about their well-being. Hope refilling their hearts, Marcellus and Nayumi stood up and went with him into the car.  
  
"My name's Noel Isaac Ricardsen." The man introduced himself once everyone was in the car. "These are my children, Tsuji and Rowena."  
  
The young teenagers all locked eyes. Right then and there, the strands of fate were beginning to intertwine. These four's future would forever involve each other. The Ardsens and the Ricardsens.  
  
Future partners at the DWMA.  
  


* * *

  
  
“It just happened basically,” Nayumi remarked after they were done thinking about the events, “It was all fate.”  
  
“Fate, huh?” Marcellus closed his eyes, finally able to relax. “I buy it—”  
  
“Henrietta.”  
  
He cracked one eye open halfway to peek at her purple hair. “What?”  
  
“The last name I never told you. It’s Henrietta.”   
  
“Henrietta? That's the last name you hate so much?”  
  
“Yeah.” Voice growing softer from drowsiness, Nayumi eventually closed her own eyes. “I figured you deserve to know it.”  
  
Marcellus yawned, doing the same. It was about time for a nap again. “Well, why tell me?”  
  
“Because I know you won't make nothing of it after today.”  
  
“At least you know that much. But I hope you're bonding with people other than me like this. Especially Rowena and Patty.”  
  
“I’m...” She notably paused mid-sentence. Initially, she wanted to yes, but a pang of guilt coursed through her because that was a lie. Rowena was her partner, and Patty was her fast friend, but Nayumi never spoke to either of them on an emotional basis like she did with Marcellus or Noel. She just couldn’t. “Getting there.”  
  
The two closed their eyes and eventually fell asleep.  
  


* * *

  
  
Death City International Airport stayed busy no matter the hour of day. Even at night when citizens slowed down activity, people still came to and fro at the airport. Among the people exiting the airport, a particular group walked, keeping their eyes at the DWMA standing high in the sky.   
  
Portis pushed up the rim of his fedora to reveal his purple eyes, his face unreadable. “So that’s it. Death Weapon Meister Academy. How I’ve longed to erect a business of such magnitude myself.” In terms of attire, he switched to a simple suit an average person would wore. The three Chicago Gangsters behind him and Morgan wore civilian clothes themselves, indistinguishable from the masses.   
  
“Lord Death resides in the very top of the building,” Morgan said, playing with a strand of her hair. She had on a summer blouse, denim pants, and flats. “Since it’s so late, let’s check into a hotel. We’ll should pay him a visit first thing in the morning.”  
  
“Agreed.” Portis glanced to Miyuki standing at his other side. “I leave that to you, Miyuki.”   
  
Miyuki saluted the don. “Yessir! Leave it to me!”  
  
Morgan sighed exasperatedly, letting her hand drop. “Portis, sweetie, I recall one of the stipulations to this excursion is to not draw attention, am I correct?”  
  
“Yes, dear. Is something the matter?”  
  
Morgan glared daggers at Miyuki, who titled her head in confusion. “Miyuki’s gaudy outfit defeats that purpose.” The matriarch watched as a few men sauntered by, either looking at Miyuki’s shapely rear or her large breasts.   
  
“But, miss, we’re in the middle of a desert-like area!” Miyuki protested, whining a little. “This is perfect for the climate.”  
  
Morgan coughed several times, putting a hand over her surgical mask out of habit. “Forget it. I’ll just worry myself sicker arguing about this.”   
  
She, Miyuki, and the accompanying trio of gang members walked forward, nothing but business on their minds right now. Portis remained in his spot, looking up to the school on the horizon. Tomorrow was the most important day of his life.   
  
_“Ready or not, here I come, Reaper. And wait for me, son.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Those who've read Saeculum will probably notice part of the chapter is Entry #1: Fate, which is why I was able to dish out this chapter relatively quickly. Wherever possible, I want to bring the entries from Saeculum to the story proper. If I can't, then they'll just sit there.


	41. Deal With Death Himself: What Makes a Family?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Portis and Morgan have come to Death Weapon Meister Academy to speak to Lord Death and hopefully see Marcellus for the first time since he ran away. However, that may not be the biggest concern today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.

**Deal With Death Himself: What Makes a Family?**  
  
_Month 3, Week 1, Day 5 (Friday, March 6th)_  
  
Henderson left the engineering laboratory after delivering some items and brunch to Cancer and entered her sanctuary, the main hub of Subterrene. Walena recently announced her and the others’ arrival in Death City, meaning it was Henderson’s time to remove the Anria from Chicago. The monster man grabbed Cancer’s crystal ball from its case in the corner of the room and placed it on a mechanism, activating the transporter. Pulling up a map of the Chicago Gang territory, he punched in the coordinates to the underground containment room. Even though it was still time-consuming, this was the quickest but most inconspicuous way to get the Anria out.  
  
“All right. Time to begin,” Henderson declared, unfurling his cloak.  
  
“—What are you going on about now, freak?”  
  
Henderson turned his head to the mother-computer and walked over to it. “Is the Surveillance Crab recording someone?” Typing in commands, the one that went with Gilgamesh streamed a group of DWMA scientists in Netherlands base speaking to the advanced Anria.  
  
“—I wonder how long… you puny ants can keep up the bravado… once your precious gods are killed once the Great Creator, Cancer Lucrenian, is done?”  
  
The scientists physically took a step back, gasping. Henderson stood still for a second before slamming his head on the keyboard.  
  
“The ultimate goal of our lord and savior, Project Omega, is,” Gilgamesh paused to cough, weakened from its stay, “to change the world through destruction and recreation. The only way… that can happen is if the gods and beings who govern this world… are exterminated.” Gilgamesh shifted, but that caused one of the heavy chains to pull at a sore spot, forcing a snarl, “You’d best pray, ngh, that never happens… Once the Great Creator completes milord, no enemy will be safe from its divine wrath… First, Death himself, then the Great Old Ones, then the Warlocks, then the Grand Witch… and finally the _world_!”  
  
Gilgamesh bellowed with laughter. A scientist stared dully at it before pricking its neck with an acupuncture needle. The Shambling Anria grew limp and fell unconscious, proceeding to snore loudly. The scientist rolled his eyes before turning to his colleagues. “Contact Lord Death. Gave him a tape of this. He’ll want to hear this.”  
  
Henderson sighed, sliding the window off-screen. He rubbed the back of his head with his humanlike arm. “Oh my, Lady Cancer will be most displeased to hear Gilgamesh has confessed to the Reaper’s emissaries the end goal of Project Omega.” Henderson turned his back to the mother-computer. “I suppose I can’t blame Gilgamesh. Being imprisoned and experimented on nonstop is torture I can relate to.”  
  
The monster man glanced to the automatic doors that would lead to the engineering lab. He shook his head and went out the other one. “She’s far too busy with developing Project Omega’s second body. I can’t disturb her. So it appears getting Gilgamesh to safety is also my responsibility. The Reaper will surely have his minions destroy it now that they’ve gotten all sorts of information from it.”  
  
Henderson made the long walk to his quarters, immediately locking eyes with the thirteen capsules. “I won’t be able to concoct a grand scheme like Lady Cancer on breaking in and out of the base, but perhaps, simplicity is best for this occasion.” He walked over to the one marked ‘No. 12’ and punched in a few numbers in the keyboard on the side.  
  
Stepping back, the capsule’s light faded and the door slowly opened. Air hissed as the pressure was released. Inside, the restraints automatically moved out of place. “You’re in luck, Minya. You get to come out and play.”  
  
Henderson watched as a humanlike Anria similar to Gilgamesh stepped out. The arrangement of the rocks and crystal on its upper body made it resemble a deer, possessing forked horns, long thin arms, and clenched claws for hands. Its face was completely featureless, lacking any visible eyes or mouth. Its legs, however, were entirely human except that its feet looked more like hooves.  
  
“Come with me, Minya, you have an important assignment,” Henderson explained as they walked back to Cancer’s sanctuary, “You are to infiltrate the Netherlands DWMA base, rescue an Anria named Gilgamesh, and come back safe and sound. I expect this to be a flawless mission for someone of your caliber. Am I clear?”  
  
“Roger.”  
  
“I’ll be monitoring you as much as I can. And, please, perform this in a reasonable amount of time,” Henderson requested, the two of them now standing in front of the transporter. He changed the destination and put a Surveillance Crab on Minya’s shoulder. Minya walked into the transporter without saying a word.  
  
Henderson sighed, now hearing a clock tick in his head for both tasks. _“After all, Lady Cancer has no idea of your existence.”_  


* * *

  
  
Lord Death, Spirit, and Noel talked over morning tea about the situation the latter’s son was faced with. It was fruitless. Even Lord Death, for the amount of knowledge he had, knew as much as the next person about the Enchanted Eyes. The trait had mysterious origins and purposes. Towards the end of the conversation, the god’s mirror pinged, and he received the information from the Netherlands.  
  
“I see.” Everyone stayed quiet as Lord Death pondered over the troublesome news. “Keep that thing monitored for as long as you can. I am sending someone over to deal with it personally. Am I correct to assume you’re done with it?”  
  
“We think, yes.”  
  
“Good. I’m ending the transmission.” With a wave of his hand, the God of Death ended the call and began a new one. One half of the mirror brought up Francis. The other half of the mirror showed a penthouse clean as a whistle and full of expensive furniture, but a person wasn’t on-screen.  
  
“What’s the issue, Lord Death?” Francis asked, standing straighter than an arrow, a soldier awaiting his orders.  
  
The Death God held a finger up to the Technologic Demon Weapon to silence him. “One second.” He examined the other side and raised his voice. “Roger? Roger! I’m calling you! Get over—”  
  
“Idiot! Moron! Pervert!” The shrill scream of a woman caught everyone’s attention, spewing out all sorts of insults in French. Francis simply shook his head. Despite being unable to see it, he already knew what was going on. On the mirror, a woman run off, clumsily putting on her clothes to make herself decent. “Trash! Scum of the earth! I hate you, just die! _But why do I still love you_?!”  
  
Spirit laughed uproariously, Lord Death smacked his forehead with his hand, and Noel crossed his arms and shook his head. Eventually, Roger came into view, wearing nothing but an open robe and his boxers. The dirty blonde rubbed his head, eyes bloodshot red. “Oh, my head’s pounding…”  
  
“Roger,” Lord Death spoke in a darker tone. Spirit immediately stopped laughing and Roger was now in front of the mirror in record time. The god switched back to his dorky voice. “Excellent. Glad you’re finally here.”  
  
Spirit smirked mockingly at the blond Moncharmin. “Still wasting the days away, I see.”  
  
Roger narrowed his eyes at the redhead. “Hello, fruit cake. You missed me?”  
  
Normally, Lord Death would indulge in the silliness of the conversation, but unfortunately, this wasn’t a time for fun and games. “Francis, please keep your brother in line. I am talking.”  
  
Francis expressionlessly adjusted his glasses. “Lord Death, as Claude would say, that is not my brother. That is a male hooker.”  
  
“Oh, go to Hell.” Roger sighed and directed his attention to the God of Order. “Sorry you have to see me in such a condition, Lord Death. Don’t worry about that woman. She was talking about something inconsequential.”    
  
Lord Death chuckled humorlessly. “Roger. I’ll have you know I happened to speak 11 different languages. 12 as soon as I perfect my craft with Swahili.”  
  
Roger stared blankly at him. “… Is one of them French?”  
  
“Never mind any of that!” Lord Death exclaimed, putting everyone back on track as Spirit went back to laughing his butt off. “Roger, Francis, whatever you are doing, drop it. I have an urgent request of you. Go to the Netherlands DWMA base and help the scientists dispose of that Anria you found in the Hollands.”  
  
Roger scratched his head, suppressing a groan. He honestly hoped that was the last he would see of that loud and irritating Anria. “What? Gas, lethal ejection, starvation, or the electric chair won’t work?”  
  
Lord Death shook his head. “You see, the scientists came to the conclusion that the Anria do not produce bodily fluids like blood, saliva, and the like. They don’t need to eat or drink. They are pretty much inorganic. So none of that _can_ work. As you two fought the thing and are currently in France, you are best suited to get the job done.”  
  
“Understood.” Francis nodded. If that was what their leader desired, then so be it. With their equipment, the extermination should be quick. “Roger, if you can hear me, get cleaned up and meet me in the square. I’d rather not go to your house as it reeks of booze and… whatnot.”  
  
Spirit snickered, walking up to Lord Death’s side, hunched over and hands in his pockets. “It probably does. He may be high-class, but Roger is still a pig.”  
  
Roger glared at the Death Scythe. “Be silent, Albarn.” A mocking smirk carved its way on the dirty blonde’s face. “At least I’m a single bachelor for life while you’re—”  
  
Spirit butted heads with the screen, gritting his teeth and eyes going wide with anger. “Don’t even go there!”  
  
“Know what else you two have in common?” Noel’s dry, raspy voice caught their attention. He sat at the edge, arms crossed and refusing the face them. “Being an embarrassment to those associated with you. Now hurry up and go do your jobs.”  
  
“My sentiments exactly,” Francis said, “Roger, I’m heading to the rendezvous point. Quit lollygagging and let’s go.”  
  
Mumbling, Roger cut off transmission at the same time as Francis. Deafly silenced greeted the Death Room as the God of Order’s gaze fell to the floor. Lord Death’s mind wandered back to recordings the Netherland scientists played. The god snarled, making Spirit back up as Noel quirked a brow. “So that’s your game, Cancer. Picking up where your foolish ancestors left off. I don’t know how you plan to make a god, or if that’s even possible, but quite frankly, I don’t care.”  
  
Lord Death pulled up his list on the mirror. With a wave of a hand, Cancer’s name appeared at the very top. Soon enough, the computers and reception desk throughout the school would be updated with the Execution Order. “You’re attempting to cross boundaries no mortal should, and I intend to punish you for that.”  
  
Spirit sighed, closing his eyes. Not a day went by without some sort of business to be taken care of. Then again, that was one of the charms of the Academy – never a dull moment. Just as he was about to excuse himself to go into town, the doors to the Death Room opened up abruptly, followed by several footsteps “Hm?” The Death Scythe turned to see a group of people he never saw before. Immediately feeling wary of them, he narrowed his eyes at the unwelcome visitors. “Who are you people?”  
  
Portis walked forth, flanked on his left by Morgan, with Miyuki and the three gangsters trailing behind. The large man had his arms folded in the small of his back, acknowledging Spirit with a brief glance. “Just your average businessman and woman here to talk some business.” Portis gave Lord Death his undivided attention and bowed reverently. “Lord Death, such a pleasure to finally meet you face-to—”  
  
_REAPER CHOP!_  
  
A single chop floored the don as the Chicago gangsters gasped in surprise. Noel smirked darkly. Spirit shook his head and looked at the god. “My lord, was that even necessary?”  
  
As Morgan and the others tended to the concussed gang leader, Lord Death addressed Spirit, putting away his hand, “Well, yes! That's what he gets for being on the opposite side of law!”  
  
Hearing that, Spirit walked over to Noel and whispered to him, “Noel, what's he talking about?”  
  
Noel never looked at the fellow Demon Weapon, instead boring holes into their visitors with his eyes, forming fists. Portis and Morgan in particular had his attention. “Those two are the don and master of the Chicago Gang and Marcellus’s biological parents.”  
  
Morgan encircled her arms around one of Portis’s and helped her husband to his feet. At that point, she noticed Lord Death looking directly at her now. She gulped nervously. The god then said, “You should feel lucky you appear very ill at the moment or else you would’ve gotten the same treatment.”  
  
Morgan’s shoulders slumped slightly, but her heart still raced. How on earth did the people in this building get used to standing in front of him? “Duly noted.”  
  
Miyuki retrieved Portis’s fallen fedora and rubbed his scalp to alleviate the lingering pain. “Poor Big Daddy P. Do I need to—”  
  
A nerve snapping, the matriarch pointed nonchalantly at the witch in disguise. “Hit her in my stead.”  
  
_REAPER CHOP!_  
  
Spirit cringed. That one looked like it hurt worse than the one Lord Death gave Portis. Just then, Spirit noticed that, thanks to her position, her rear was on display for those behind her, namely him. Perverted curiosity getting the best of him, Spirit pretended to tie his shoes so he could steal a peak up her mini-dress. _“Oh my. She's wearing G-string on top of having a nice body!”_ Plastering on his famous smile, Spirit sauntered over to the groaning woman, kneeled down, and offered his hand. “Don't worry, babe. That'll wear off in a moment. My name is Spirit Albarn. What's yours?”  
  
Placing her hands on the floor, Miyuki slowly turned her head, her eyes shrinking considerably out of pure rage. The daggers glared pierced through Spirit’s body and soul. “Get. Lost.”  
  
Spirit shuffled backwards, taking refuge behind Noel, scared the woman was going to murder him then and there. _“What did I do to her?!”_  
  
Once order had been reestablished, Lord Death conjured a table for all of them to sit at. As of now, he and Spirit faced Portis and Morgan. Miyuki and the other gangsters were behind the latter. Noel stood near the mirror, refusing to be near the Chicago Gang. Lord Death cleared his throat as he started making coffee. “Now that that's out of the way, what can I do for you guys?”  
  
“We're here to talk about something worth your organization's attention,” Morgan answered, beginning to play with strands of her hair.  
  
Portis rested his elbows on the table and interlaced his fingers. “And, honestly, it’s something we should have told you sooner, but you could say we allowed ourselves to be foolishly blinded by fool's gold. Given my occupation, I'm more concerned with the immediate value and decide on what to do later when I approach that crossroad.”  
  
Spirit crossed his arms, thinking the exposition to be meaningless drivel. “Go on.”  
  
“Our territory is harboring supernatural creatures as part of a deal,” Morgan stated, watching Lord Death and the Death Scythe carefully. Their lack of reaction concerned her. “They don’t belong to us. Rather, as a temporary truce between ourselves and the Other Side Gang, we let them rent our underground facility. Now, mind you, we had no idea what they were storing, but money is money, you know?”  
  
“Experts we are not, but I should have discerned the dangers of harboring them from the very start,” Portis admitted, “Before I even knew it, my own men – people I consider best friends and family – slowly became meals to these accursed things. They threatened the sanctity of my institution. Just like they're doing to do you, I assume.”  
  
“Is that so? Then tell me why three operatives of mine got into scuffles with your men upon the discovery? Also, did you hear about Other Side Gang members dying in the Chicago newspaper?” Lord Death casually poured himself a cup of coffee. “It sounds to me you’ve come here to lie to get yourselves out of trouble with me. Unfortunately, you’re just digging yourselves a deeper hole doing that.”  
  
“You presume too quickly, Lord Death,” Portis contended. Amazing how the Grim Reaper hit the nail on the head so quickly. Now the hard part was to steer him away from his stance and make him believe them, “This is all strictly in the interest of business. In case you haven't noticed, we're not the kind of people who can just show up anywhere at any given time.”  
  
“As for our men who attacked yours, they acted strictly out of protocol, and we want to issue a formal apology for that,” Morgan said, pausing to cough. The doctor behind her moved to give her medicine. “The news never reached us until it was too late. As for the Other Side Gang, we know next to nothing about that.”  
  
“So you two have no clue what’s going on, yet you house strange beings for your hated rivals, and your men used them for their own gains. One of them even knew their names.” Lord Death refrained from talking about the Anria to see if their words and intentions were genuine. If they spilled formation the ignorant shouldn’t know, he could convict them right then and there.  
  
And Portis and Morgan knew that. The two leaders glanced at each other, which was interpreted as a moment of confusion by everyone else – the intended reaction. “Really? He did?” Morgan asked, letting go of her strands of hair.  
  
“Oh my… It’s worse than I anticipated.” Portis turned to his cohorts. “It sounds like a coup in the making. What do you guys think?” He received murmurs of assent. “Then it’s a good thing he’s been apprehended. A threat unknown to both us and the Grim Reaper here.”  
  
Noel watched as the Death God rubbed the space beneath his mask, humming in thought. As much as he wanted to keep quiet and let his lord take care of the situation, his low opinion of Portis and Morgan challenged his patience. With a sigh, the Demon Shield spoke up, “Lord Death, I’ve no clue why you are even giving these guys the time of day. What we should do is call the FBI and hand them over. They’ve committed a myriad of crimes.”  
  
Noel ignored the glares he received from the Chicago Gang. Lord Death set down his coffee and said consolingly, “Calm down, Noel. I assure you what _I_ can do is far worse than the government.” He punctuated his sentence by looking at Portis and Morgan, the dark eyeholes of his mask giving off a brief red flash.  
  
Morgan shuddered as a chill coursed her body, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. She held up a hand, smiling sheepishly. “Now, now. Let’s remember we fall outside the purview of the Academy. We wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for the situation at hand.”  
  
Noel growled and stormed over to the Shinigami’s side. “Come on, Lord Death. I hope you’re not letting them off easy because of a technicality. Medusa used this same farce against us when she made that deal. Looked where that got us.”  
  
“It got us BREW which I entrusted to my son and ultimately she died with nothing left to her name and no casualties to our side,” Lord Death reminded him matter-of-factly. Noel became silent, gritting his teeth and looking away. Knowing his feelings were rooted in their mistreatment and neglect of Marcellus, the Reaper patted Noel on the side to assure him everything would be fine. “Have a little faith in me, Noel, just like I did with you when you were a student.”  
  
Noel sighed and returned to his spot, letting them resume their conversation. However, Portis’s eyes remained glue to the disciplinarian. Closing them, the don muttered, “Not everyone gets an easy life. Not everyone has a choice.” He reopened them, meeting the cold gaze of the Correctional Class teacher. “Desperate times call for desperate measures, so said my father when I was a child. During a time when the family was dirt poor and threatened with homelessness.”  
  
“Oh, don’t be that way!” Lord Death commented, “You can be whatever you want as long as you put your mind into it.”  
  
Morgan chuckled wryly, rolling a strand of hair between her fingers again. “Oh, Lord Death, you and I both know that’s a lie. A lie that our parents and guardians feed our impressionable minds as children to get our hopes up. Reality is so much more different than that.” Her head dipped slightly, orange hair falling over her eyes. “You try to pursue your dream and nothing happens but rejection and heartbreak. You are brought down to the mire because of it. Like my husband says, desperate times call for desperate measures.”  
  
Feeling his mood drop because of their sob-stories, Spirit elected to move on with the topic at hand.  “I’m just curious. Is that all you came here to do?”  
  
“Mostly,” the gang leaders answered at the same time.  
  
Lord Death titled his head curiously. “Mostly?”  
  
Portis reached into the internal jacket of his suit, took something out, and tossed it onto the table. “I believe one of your students dropped this.” As the Grim Reaper scooped it up into his hand, the don added in, “Before you accuse me, no. We did not come here spurred by the knowledge that the Academy investigated our territory. As I said, this meeting is in the interest of business.”  
  
“Our henchmen found this as we made preparations,” Morgan clarified.  
  
Lord Death handed it over to Noel, figuring he’d have better use for it. Examining it closely, the Demon Shield knew what it was. “That’s my son’s ID. He’s been wondering where that is. Had to get him a new one.”  
  
Thoroughly convinced they were pardoned, Morgan moved on to the secondary reason for their trip here. “Speaking of sons…”  
  
Noel feared it would come to this. Never changing his tone, he interjected, “Yes, your son Marcellus goes here. He happens to be partnered with my son.”  
  
Portis’s gaze shifted to Noel. “I see. How is he?”  
  
“Bumps along the road aside, he’s great. His grades are generally good, he’s in the Basketball Club, he’s made good friends, and – best of all – he’s glad to be away from you guys.” If looks could kill, Portis and Morgan would have slaughtered Noel, and the same would’ve happened to them. Moving to stand directly behind Lord Death and Spirit, arms crossed and keeping his eyes on them, Noel stated, “I’m going to say this right now. If you guys came to see him, don’t. He wants nothing to do with the Chicago Gang.”  
  
“First of all, it’s the ‘Chicago Underground Association,’” Portis corrected with a slight snarl.    
  
“And, _second_ of all.” Morgan slammed her hands on the table. “What gives you the right to say that?”  
  
“The right as his guardian,” Noel answered firmly, “You may have brought him in this world, but you’ve no idea of the pain you’ve caused him. A real parent would never have done that.”  
  
“Yeah, you’re right.” Morgan gritted her teeth as her hair curtained her eyes. “We haven’t been real parents to him. We treated him as an heir and not a child.”  
  
“But we’ve spent these past two years looking for him and figuring out what changes needed to be made to better suit him,” Portis added in, keeping his emotions in check, “Including what about us. We’re not talking about heirs to a gang’s chair, fleeting material possessions, or anything like that. We’re talking about parents who love their child and want him back.”  
  
A silence lingered in the Death Room as the don and matriarch aired out their feelings. Miyuki, despite being a double agent for Novus Partus, couldn’t help but feel sorry for them.  
  
“I understand.” All eyes fell on Spirit, his voice lower than usual. “Fame, fortune… nothing in this world is above a loved one. Especially his or her child. I have one myself. A smart, beautiful, strong, and talented girl. Even though we do not get along, and that’s entirely my fault, I will never stop loving her.  
  
“You guys say you love Marcellus, and I do sense you care for him very much. However…” Spirit looked up to glare at Morgan and Portis. “I don't trust you. Because if you truly love your son, he would not have left. He wouldn't be miserable living with you and your gang!” The redhead clenched his fist, tears of anger beginning to pour from his eyes. “What kind of parents put their kid in that kind of environment? Huh?! He could’ve died! And no parent should have to bury their child!”  
  
Almost everyone in the room was taken aback by Spirit's display of emotion and rage. Portis and Morgan could not form words. Instead, the two hung their heads. Years of shame and regret came crashing down on them. While Morgan cried silently, Portis mustered the strength to talk. “Ones who admit their mistakes. The mistake of putting the gang before Marcellus. We have done what no parent should ever do – not put them first. We are paying the price for it. This whole fiasco, my industry being jeopardized, and everything else serve as apt punishment for the most evil sin we've committed.”  
  
Noel refrained from scoffing and prepared to tell it was too late for laments. However, Lord Death spoke before him. “Do you guys have any idea where the Other Side Gang got those things?” If this meeting was in the interest of business, it should stay that way. “It doesn’t take a genius to know humans aren’t behind them.”  
  
“Cancer Lucrenian,” Miyuki blurted out instinctively. Lord Death, Spirit, and Noel looked at her in shock. Her fellow gangsters also gave her curious glances. “U-Uh. That’s their client’s name. I-I did some snooping?”  
  
“Really?” Lord Death’s tone of voice lowered. That name was beginning to bother him as much as Arachne’s and Asura’s. “Cancer is behind the Anria, and she is in league with your rivals?”  
  
“Appears so,” Portis and Morgan replied.    
  
Lord Death cleared his throat to regain his composure. “Listen up. Are you willing to help bring that woman to justice? She is guilty of a few major transgressions against the Academy.”  
  
Portis nodded. “If it pardons my organization, then sure.”  
  
“Excellent. Well, in that case, you’re off the hook. However, if your organization tries to backstab us or had any involvement whatsoever…” The sky in the Death Room blackened, lightning flashed, and the Death God towered over the human gangsters. His voice turned demonic, full of authority. “ _I will collect your souls myself_!”  
  
Spirit cowered behind an indifferent Noel, shaking and teeth chattering. Miyuki, the gang doctor, and other company huddled together. Portis and Morgan sweated in mortal fear but managed to nod. With an unceremonious poof, everything went back to normal. “Great! I hope you guys enjoyed your time here!” Lord Death then held up a finger, getting serious again. “ _But_ , I expect you guys to leave immediately and make no stops. I’m afraid I cannot allow you to see Marcellus.” As a father himself, it would be remiss of him to allow Marcellus back into the very environment he ran away from. “Noel and I will relay your words to him, and if he wants to go see you guys, then that’s his decision, not yours.”  
  
As much as it pained them to admit, that was probably the best they were going to get out of this. At the very least, the Chicago Underground Association was safe. Nodding silently, Portis and Morgan rose and bowed graciously to the Grim Reaper. “Come, everyone, it’s time to go home,” Portis ordered.  
  
When everyone gathered at the first torii gate, Lord Death called out to them, “Portis? Morgan?” They looked at him over their shoulders. “You two should consider a more legitimate way of life. Something within the rules. You two have the tools and the tenacity to make it happen. You don’t have to live like this. Times may have been rough for the two of you in the past, but the future is always bright, you know.”  
  
Up and changing their lifestyles now was too complicated, so they doubted that, but at the same time, perhaps Marcellus would still be with them if that were the case. The gang leaders said nothing as they continued their exit. _“If only, Reaper. If only…”_  


* * *

  
  
Tsuji stood in the bathroom hunched over a sink with the water running. The medicine Mira prescribed to him was on the countertop. His legs and arms shook, barely able to sustain his own body weight. His eyelids threatened to close, and his vision was blurry. He summoned the strength to massage his head. “Man. How sick _am_ I?” Sucking in air, the boy stood up straight. The effects of the medicine finally kicked in. “OK. Let’s walk it off. I can always leave class, I mean.”  
  
Leaving, Tsuji made his way to his classroom, headed to his desk, and threw himself to his chair, dropping his backpack. He propped his elbows on his desk and covered his face with both hands. The archer released a drawn-out groan. Despite taking his medicine and doing the bare minimum of work, his energy levels reached a low point he thought never existed for him.  
  
While everyone else chatted and got ready for class, Jacqueline was the only one who noticed Tsuji. Walking over, she then asked him, “Hey. Feeling OK?”  
  
Tsuji peeks at her through this fingers. “I'm nauseous. I woke up twice during the night and felt worse each time. I just took my medicine. It helps, but it only lasts for so long.”  
  
Jacqueline took a good long look at him, taking note of how Tsuji’s skin tone almost matched the color of the room, just like Blackstar before her. “If you mind if…?” She motioned her hand towards his forehead and Tsuji took his down so she could feel it. Jackie shivered at the coldness and her palm became sweaty. “W-Whoa. You feel so cold and clammy. Are you _sure_ you’re fine?”  
  
Tsuji made no noise. Instead, he stood up. As soon as he did, his head swim, and he swayed on the spot. The Bow Meister’s hands shot to his desk to keep him upright. _“Th-This is worse than in the bathroom!”_ He screamed in his head. “T-Take me to Ms. Nygus.”  
  
The Demon Lantern nodded, grabbing Tsuji by his arm and leading him out. At the door, they met Professor Stein. “Oh? Going somewhere, you two?” He asked, turning in his chair. Immediately, he noticed Tsuji’s condition. “Wow. That looks bad.”  
  
“I’m not that ugly,” Tsuji joked. He laughed but degenerated into a coughing fit. He felt Stein’s stronger hand grab him. His whole body convulsed, and his head span. Jackie and Stein were calling out to him, but their voices registered faintly to him. His vision turned white, and something built up in his stomach.  
  
_You have failed  
And it was all according to our plan  
Here is your reward_  
  
Tsuji faced who he hoped was Professor Stein and muttered something before his whole world went black.  
  
“H-Help me…”  
  
The doorway and Stein’s lab coat were drenched in red as Tsuji vomited blood. Screams and clamor erupted from within Class Crescent Moon, bearing witness to it all. Students rushed out of the seats to get a closer look, but Stein picked up Tsuji and hurried out, demanding everyone not a family member to stay behind. All the while, Marcellus watched from his spot, frozen, blood chilled.  
  
_You failed too_  
  
For the first time since Tsuji awakened the Enchanted Eyes, the voices spoke to Marcellus. He looked around, trying to see if someone corporeal was talking to him, but they were all concerned about the scene at the doorway.  
  
_Standing oblivious in the background  
You helped us lead him to his doom  
  
“W-What the hell is going on?!”_ Marcellus gripped his head, overwhelmed by a storm of emotions. Confusion, anger, frustration, disbelief, and worry. Taking a deep breath, his naturally rational mind took over. Piecing together the cryptic message, Marcellus slowly brought his hand up to his lollipop and removed it from his mouth.  
  
It was bright red. The color of blood. The same color of blood on the floor right now.  
  
His eyes shrunk, his hands shook as the lollipop slipped out of his grasp, his heart pounded like a drum in his chest, and his breath raggedly moved in and out of his mouth at regular, gasping intervals.  
  
Marcellus completely lost his composure and screamed, louder than anyone else when the incident happened. Before anyone could check on him, he raced out of the classroom and to the nearest trashcan, purging his stomach of its contents.  
  
_He will die  
He will join us  
His soul with become one with ours_


	42. No Choice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing is as easy as it seems. The hardships of certain characters continue, and sacrifices will be made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.

**No Choice**  
  
Professor Stein and Nurse Nygus worked frenziedly in the Dispensary. Getting Tsuji through the preliminary procedures – IVs, heart monitor, and whatnot – was difficult to do when your biggest concern was making sure he did not die during them. He had to be stabilized, given oxygen, and most importantly given blood to replace what he lost.  
  
As Stein prepared another blood transfusion, Mira went over the unconscious Tsuji’s condition. She even had the clipboard from his last visit. “Weak pulse, low blood pressure, blood loss, and the other symptoms from before.”  
  
“Hypovolemic shock,” Stein mentioned as an afterthought, continuously glancing at the heart-rate monitor. It was still lower than it needed to be, “But why are the telltale signs just showing up now? And why did he vomit blood?”  
  
Mira inserted the clipboard in a slot at the foot of the bed. “When I X-rayed him the other day, no signs of internal injury came up.” The Demon Knife ran a hand through her dreadlocks, sinking to a hip. “This is so strange.”  
  
“We can deliberate all we want after we get him healthy again,” Stein reminded her. Just then, something came to mind. “I believe Rowena and the others are outside. You might as well tell Noel too.”  
  
Since it seemed Stein had everything under control despite the danger, Mira complied, walking out to see Rowena, Nayumi, and Marcellus outside waiting anxiously. At the sounds of the door opening, they whipped their heads to her direction. “He’s in a critical state,” she said simply, watching as the three stiffened up, “But Dr. Stein has identified the issue and is working on him now. Tsuji’s in the right hands.”  
  
All three of them slumped and breathed again. Now that they were calm, it was time to question them. Mira stepped completely outside and closed the door behind her. “I have to ask this. Did any of you three notice anything unordinary about Tsuji?”  
  
“Long story,” Marcellus piped in, forming shaky fists in his pockets. He was still fresh from his breakdown earlier, having burned through several lollipops to calm himself down. It took some time for him to register that the girls were looking at him, wanting further explanation. “Like, really long. And I’d need Noel here too to fully explain it, Mira. Someone call him.”  
  
“I got it.” Rowena pulled out her cellphone and dialed her father. The second she mentioned Tsuji in the Dispensary for emergency treatment, Noel ended the call with the promise he’d be there as soon as possible. The wait time was mere minutes, the man rounding the corner and approaching everyone.  
  
“Someone better start explaining,” he demanded.   
  
Nayumi blinked, taken aback. _“Wow. He sounds more irritable than usual.”_  
  
Sensing his impatience, Mira told him of Tsuji’s condition. Then, Marcellus followed up, telling everyone about the Enchanted Eyes and the happenings in the classroom. Noel sighed, went over to the nearest bench, and sat down. “I don't believe this. We tried to help out early, nip it in the bud so he could live without the complications, this curse... It really exists. It adapted. Lured all of us into a false sense of security and indirectly targeted someone we thought safe.” The man balled his fists together, gaining the urge to destroy something, preferably the curse that endangered his son’s life. “It's my fault. I led my son astray and now he’s dying.”  
  
“You did your best, Noel. Don’t beat yourself up,” Mira said comfortingly. Though, with Noel being somewhat of a cynic, she doubted her words would make him feel better. Hearing the door to the Dispensary open up, she looked to see Stein beckoning her in for assistance. “Hopefully, we’ll be done shortly. Pray for his safety.”  
  
She quietly went in. Rowena looked at her dad, staring somberly at him. “Dad…” She walked over to try and hug him, but Noel held up a hand to stop her from coming closer.   
  
“Rowena, Nayumi, do me a favor.” Noel looked up. His expression had barely changed. “Go to the teacher’s longue, grab the biggest cup available, and make me cup of coffee with lots of cream.”  
  
The Demon Sledgehammer scratched her head, finding that to be odd. “Is that your substitute for alcohol when you’re stressed?”  
  
Noel casted a cold glare to Nayumi, her body involuntarily shivering. “Yes, it is, because I don’t drink. Now go.”  
  
The girls left to do their given task. The Demon Shield, meanwhile, sighed and reclined to rest his back against the wall. Marcellus watched the older man carefully. This was the most stressed-out he’d ever seen him – even with dealing with the Correctional Class, the house, being a single father, and other challenges. Marcellus noticed the vacant stare on Noel’s face directed toward to Dispensary door. “You're not having flashbacks about your wife, are you?”  
  
“How’d you guess?” Noel sighed and closed his eyes. “That boy is so much like his mother. From character to attitude to fighting style. She's the whole reason he picked up on a bow in the first place.”  
  
Marcellus too rested his back on the wall. “Explains why he was so good at it when we hooked up.”  
  
Heavy silence fell. Except Class Crescent Moon, classes were still going on. Normally, Marcellus appreciated these times, but knowing Tsuji was battling for his life because of him made him antsy. His leg shook, and he drummed his fingers on the bench, wondering when the next time the ‘Curse of the Enchanted Eyes’ would strike. Something needed to be done.   
  
“I’ve been back and forth with telling you this.” Noel’s voice cut through the thick silence. The disciplinarian glimpsed the Demon Bow. “Your parents came by today to talk to Lord Death.” He watched as Marcellus held his breath and tensed up, eyes widening. “You can guess they were looking for you, but Lord Death denied them the chance.”  
  
Marcellus relaxed, finishing off his lollipop and snatching out the naked stick. “Let me guess. They wanted me back, huh?”  
  
“That’s the half the reason,” Noel replied, “Actually, the meeting was about those creatures you, Tsuji, and Buttataki found in their domain. Apparently someone else commands them.”  
  
Marcellus grunted, not having anything worthwhile to say. His past was a touchy subject to him; if it weren’t for Nayumi, he would have never told the others about it during the Kumbaya Circle. _“At least I should be thankful. Noel and Lord Death got them out of here, so now I never—”_  
  
 _Death is your next worry  
We shall prevail  
Until the last dregs of life become one with us_  
  
Marcellus exclaimed, fidgeting in his seat and drawing Noel’s attention. “It’s those dang voices again! Noel, I thought you said only the owners had to deal with that. And I could’ve sworn you and Shannon said to listen to them!”  
  
“We _did_ ,” Noel emphasized, “But, like I said, it adapted. It made sure what worked for us wouldn’t work for Tsuji. For that, I’m sorry.”  
  
At that point, Marcellus realized something very important. _“Tsuji isn’t safe. This curse is somewhere we can’t reach, biding its time until it kills him. It used me as the way.”_ Marcellus screwed his eyes shut, a twist of pain forming in his chest. _“Tsuji will die. I can't let that happen....I-...I just can't.”_  
  
“L-Look, Noel.” The teen couldn’t believe he was about to propose this. “So this curse is preying on Tsuji, and we have no idea how to stop it for the moment. S-So, uh, this isn't easy for me to say, but…” He gulped nervously and steeled his nerves. “Maybe I should go back.”  
  
“What?!” Noel rushed out of his seat and stood in front of Marcellus in the blink of an eye.   
  
Marcellus withered under the man’s sudden display of emotion. “N-N-Now hear me out!” He stood up, holding his hands up in fear of Noel striking him. “This whole ‘curse of the Enchanted Eyes’ is using me to get to Tsuji. This thing probably thinks it's won, so we got to remove the part of the equation keeping it that way, and that's me.”  
  
“But think about the ramifications of this decision,” Noel argued, pointing at Marcellus’s head, indicating he needed to use that noggin of his, “You're going back to a crime-infested cesspool full of people I quite frankly don't trust. You hate Chicago. You hate them. That's why you left in the first place!”  
  
“I still do!” Marcellus shouted. Noel actually balked. The Demon Bow sighed, quieting down. “But what I hate more is seeing Tsuji in pain like that. This'll buy us some time til you, Lord Death, Stein, or maybe even Joe finds out how he can master the Enchanted Eyes and kick this curse to the curb. I'll grin and bear it no matter what.” He looked off to the side, imagining Portis and Morgan standing there, and narrowed his eyes. “Besides, maybe I’m not the only one who needs to face something once and for all.”  
  
Noel saw the conviction in his eyes. He wasn’t sure how, but Marcellus had grown these past few weeks. The Demon Shield glanced at the Dispensary and then back to the fellow Weapon. “I still don't approve of this.”  
  
Marcellus narrowed his eyes. “Fine then. You tell me in this short amount of time a better solution or else Tsuji might be joining Rosalind in the afterlife. You want that?”  
  
If he was any other person, Noel would’ve reacted to him using Rosalind’s name like that. But, in this case, it was the push Noel needed to make him realize how bleak the situation was. Sighing, Noel hung his head in defeat. “I can't think of one.”  
  
Marcellus placed a comforting hand on the older man’s shoulder. “It’s OK, Noel. I can handle myself. Just remember I'm doing this for your son.”  
  
Noel lifted his head back up and crossed his arms. “Then what about your friends?”  
  
Marcellus winced, taking a few steps back. “Aw, man, I forgot about them.” None of them would stand to reason with him about this subject. The African-American could only imagine the backlash. “Honestly, there's no way they'll understand completely. They'll try to stop me no matter what. Guys wear their hearts on their sleeves.”  
  
Definitely Rowena and Nayumi, Noel thought. As for the rest, he had a feeling Marcellus was spot-on in his assumption. “I suppose. In that case, I’ll break it to them.” With nothing else to say, the man took out his cellphone and contacted Spirit. “Spirit. Stop Portis and Morgan. Tell them Marcellus is coming.”   
  
He immediately hung up, not in the mood to be questioned. As soon as he did, Marcellus spoke up, “Noel? Keep an eye on Nayumi especially. You need to have a sit-down with her.”  
  
Noel quirked a bow. “Why?”  
  
Marcellus recalled the evening the two spent in the living room. It left a sour taste in his mouth. “I think she's too attached to me.”  
  
“Can you blame her? You used to be all she had.”  
  
“We’re baaaack!”  
  
The two men witnessed Rowena and Nayumi jogging over to them, the latter carrying Noel’s cup of coffee. Marcellus’s stomach clenched at the sight of her face brimming with happiness like sunflowers in the most beautiful of meadows. He couldn’t bear to think how it’d changed when he left. “Used to be. Not anymore.”  
  


* * *

  
  
Near the exit of Death Weapon Meister Academy, Portis and Morgan waited. The don himself paced back and forth while the matriarch sat on a bench, kicking her legs. They ordered Miyuki and the others to go on ahead when the Death Scythe suddenly intercepted and told them Marcellus was coming. Soon enough, Noel arrived with Marcellus in tow.   
  
Seeing him, time slowed down for Portis and Morgan. There he was. They finally found their missing son of two years. “M-Marcellus?” The two slowly approached him, ignoring Noel glaring vehemently at them.   
  
Marcellus turned stone-faced. “Yeah. It's me.” He made no reaction or movement when Portis and Morgan embraced him, their warmness meeting his cold.   
  
Spirit walked up to Noel’s side, looking away. Something about this didn’t feel right to him. Like they were taking someone from a place they belonged. Around this time, Noel noticed a crowd forming and most of them were on their phones letting others know what was going on. The Correctional Class teacher suppressed a groan. News traveled so fast around this school.   
  
Portis glanced at the Death Scythe and smiled. “Thank you for your time. Do us a favor and rid us all of those Anria, that witch, and the Other Side Gang.”  
  
Spirit nodded. “Will do.”   
  
Morgan released Marcellus and rubbed his back. “I’m so glad you’re back, Marcellus. My, you’ve grown.”  
  
He acknowledged her with a brief glance. “Thanks.” The word fell out like a machine on autopilot – no emotion, no real meaning.   
  
His parents finally ushered him away. Noel growled at the sight, turned around, and departed. His objective now was to break the news to Marcellus’s friends and discover the secret behind the Enchanted Eyes. Spirit watched Noel go and shook his head, deciding to at least see a student off. The redhead walked through the exit, uncaring of the crowds of student at the doorway and at the balconies watching and murmuring.   
  
At the higher floors, despite minding their own business, Maka and Soul couldn’t help but get curious at the scores of people piling in the balconies. It reminded them of the time Medusa was let go. “What’s going on?” Soul asked aloud as he and his meister made their way to the front.  
  
Having heard them, Klemens, standing comfortably at the edge, answered, “According to Madeline, some shady characters are leaving with a student, and Mr. Death Scythe is just standing there.  
  
Maka furrowed her brow. “What?” Getting a closer look, she saw Marcellus walking away with his parents. Her green eyes shrunk in shock. “Marcellus?!”  
  
“No way.” Soul gritted his sharp teeth. “That can’t be good.” On instinct, he whipped out his phone and mass-texted everyone to get outside.  
  
Marcellus suddenly stopped walking. “W-Wait, hold on one second.” He looked over his shoulder to see Spirit alone and figured that was best. The Demon Bow approached the Death Scythe, removed his bag of lollipops, and handed them over. “I won’t be needing these for some time, but you know who to give these to. It’s not a parting gift, it’s a promise I’ll be back.”  
  
 _“Even though I know I’m going back into the lion’s den.”_ He added inwardly as an afterthought. The now former Academy student returned to Portis and Morgan, both of them draping an arm around him, and the three disappeared down the steps.   
  
Spirit stood there with the bag of lollipops, a feeling of foreboding coming across him. “Take care of yourself, Marcellus.”  
  
Among the witnesses, Nayumi’s whole world shattered then and there.   
  


* * *

  
  
School being the last thing on her mind, Nayumi locked herself in the Ricardsen household and laid down on the living sofa, cuddling with a plushie with an emotionless expression on her face. The person she was closest to, the one who gifted her a surname when she hated ‘Henrietta,’ was gone, back to the lifestyle she wrested him from. Now she was just Nayumi again, a nobody alone in the world with no one to understand her.   
  
“I’ll never stop missing you.” While she spoke in a low drone, she was crying inside like a lost child.  
  
A gentle knock on the front door broke the heavy silence in the house. Wanting to be left to herself to grieve, the Demon Sledgehammer said not a single word.   
  
“Nayumi, I know you’re in there.” It was Patty, voice hushed with concern for her friend. “Me, Fire, and Thunder came to check up on you. Are you… okay?”  
  
“Of course I’m not,” Nayumi replied with an edge so sharp Patty actually winced. She snuggled her plushie more tightly as a shadow fell over her eyes. “But don’t worry about me. You guys go back to school.”  
  
Patty wasn’t going to give up on her regardless of what she said. “No can do.” She tried to open the door, but of course, the deadbolt lock was on tight. With a sigh, the Demon Pistol continued, “Come on now, Nayumi. Don’t be like this.”  
  
Pot of Fire sniffled. If Nayumi sounded like that, he hated to imagine how she looked. “Please let us in, Na-Na.”   
  
“We wanna cheer you,” Pot of Thunder added in, hugging herself.  
  
“Get lost already.”  
  
Patty gritted her teeth in frustration. This was no longer about getting entry in the house, it was about getting into Nayumi’s heart that she closed off to everyone else not named Marcellus. “Talk to us, Nayumi! What are you feeling right now? I want to make things better!”  
  
A humorless chuckle sounded. The Pot Twins shivered, it actually sounded kind of creepy to them. “Oh please. Stop acting like you’re my friend.”  
  
Patty pursed her lips. “But I thought we _were_ friends.”  
  
“Patricia, don’t be so naïve. We’ve only known each other for weeks. That’s not long enough to develop a true friendship. Sometimes not even years is enough to make a true friendship. That’s just how it is.”  
  
“Okay then.” Patty crossed her arms and drummed her fingers on them. At least she was getting Nayumi to talk. “Why is that such an impossible task for you and me?”  
  
“Because it’s all so pointless,” Nayumi contended, “Turns out I was right in the end. Fate granted me a two-year reprieve from my turmoil only to thrust me back into it. Played me for a fool. I’m sorry, Patricia, but I’m not going to allow my naiveté to hurt me anymore. Don’t get me wrong, our times together were fun, but today opened my eyes. Friendship, bonds, camaraderie, partnership… they’re all destined to fade away one day _somehow_. Even your closest ones.” A thick silence befell once more. Nayumi smile emptily, thinking that she was victorious. “Now get lost pl—”  
  
The door flew off its hinges.   
  
“ _Nayumi Ardsen_!” Patty burst through the front door, stormed over, and tackled the Demon Sledgehammer right as she sat up. Pinning Nayumi to the rug, Patty grabbed her by the front of her shirt and pulled her close to her face. “Now you listen here! This attitude of yours need to be put out! You’re not the only one who's upset that Marcey is gone! I know you’re upset but don't sit here by yourself bottling things up! That makes it worse! We are your friends, and we will get through this together whether you like it or not!”  
  
Nayumi struggled to pry herself away, but Patty was bigger and physically stronger. “Let go of me!”  
  
“No! You’re just saying all that because you’re heartbroken! We understand!” Patty argued, pressing Nayumi against the floor and staring at her dead in her eyes. “My big sister Liz thought nothing would change when we met Kid. She was proven wrong. Maka thought all guys were cheaters at heart. She was proven wrong. Kim thought nobody would like her as a Witch. She was proven wrong! The list goes on and on, Nayumi! All that stuff you said isn’t true.”  
  
Slowly but surely, Nayumi relaxed, her will to fight vanishing. The Demon Sledgehammer was at a loss for words at how adamant Patty – the sweet, carefree ditz – was. Maybe she too harbored holdovers from her past. Yet look at her. Just then, Nayumi realized it. She wasn’t alone. Sensing Nayumi’s hostility disappear, Patty pulled the girl into a comforting hug. The Pot Twins slowly entered and eventually joined in on the hug.  
  
“So what’s he meant.”  
  
Patty, Nayumi, and the Pot Twins flinched and whipped toward the doorway to see Noel leaning on the broken doorframe with his arms crossed. Beyond him, they could see some of their friends, eyes bugging out at the damages. Patty started sweating, quickly standing up and rubbing the back of her head. “Um, sorry about the door. Y-You can take it out of my weekly commission. Don’t hurt me please.”  
  
“Kid already gave me the money, and Rowena’s calling our carpenter as we speak,” Noel answered matter-of-factly. The man walked over, picked up Nayumi, and sat down on his armchair with her in his lap. Nayumi opened her mouth to speak, but he stopped her. “Before you ask, long enough to hear everything.” Noel gestured to Patty and the Pot Twins to bring everyone in.  
  
“O-Oh.” Nayumi looked down, feeling both ashamed and embarrassed.   
  
Noel cupped her chin and lifted her head back up. “I’m not going to sit here and say you’re wrong. That stuff will be gone someday. But guess what? That someday is not today. Not anytime soon. Make you some memories, Nayumi. Form as many worthwhile bonds as you can with the people you know.” He tousled her hair, a gesture exclusive to her. “You’ll be a better person in the long run.”  
  
Rowena stood next to the entryway. Glancing at the photos on the fireplace, Rowena knew Noel was just saying that to get Nayumi on the right path. Because if he believed all that, then why wasn’t he good friends with any of his coworkers? Why did he always say his ‘friends’ were gone? _“Practice what you preach, Old Man.”_  
  
Nayumi sighed. “Okay, okay.” She jumped off Noel’s lap, turned to Patty, and bowed to her. “Sorry. I acted out of line.”  
  
“I forgive you, Nayuyu.”  
  
“Now that that’s done with,” Kid said as he stood behind the sofa, hands in his pockets, “Mr. Ricardsen, can we please be given some context on Marcellus’s abrupt exit?”  
  
“Right.” Noel sunk into his seat, crossing his arms and resting his chin on a propped hand. “Long story short, the Chicago Gang, Marcellus’s mother and father, came to Lord Death to give valuable information on the Anria, and they wanted to see their missing son.”    
  
Maka clenched her fists. “Don’t tell me you guys struck a deal. You made a trade to get information by forcing Marcellus to go back to Chicago, didn’t you?”  
  
“That’s so stupid!” Blackstar roared, pointing accusingly at the adult. “How can you do that to him? Letting him back to those lowlife punks!”  
  
Noel deadpanned. _“He was right about them.”_ He held up a hand, raising his voice slightly. “Can I finish?” Once they quieted down, the Demon Shield continued, “Actually, Marcellus’s departure has to do with something independent of the Chicago Gang. It was to do with Tsuji. I’m sure you guys noticed his new toy, right?” He went off on a tangent to explain the Enchanted Eyes and the lore behind them. “—So, Marcellus chose to go to buy my son some time. That’s all there is to it.”  
  
Noel reached into his blazer, pulled out Marcellus’s bag of lollipops that Spirit delivered, and tossed it onto the coffee table. “Don’t think that’s a parting gift. It’s a promise he’ll come back. You guys do whatever you want with it.” He rose from his armchair. “I don’t even like sugar, so have fun with it. I’ll make us some lunch.”  
  
As soon as Noel disappeared into the kitchen, the group of students simply stood there staring at each other and the bag, unsure of what to do. Eventually, Rowena walked over, reached into it, and retrieved a cherry lollipop. The others soon followed her example – Soul, Ragnarok, and Caius got peach; Tsubaki, Kid, and Blackstar got grape; Ox and Harvar got orange; Kilik and Liz got lemon; Jackie also got cherry, the Pot Twins each got kiwi, Crona got blueberry; Kim and Claudia got strawberry; Nayumi and Patty got bubblegum; and finally Maka got green apple.   
  
They unwrapped their lollipops and held them in the air, honoring a friend’s wishes. “To Marcellus.”   
  


* * *

  
  
Spirit desperately desired a drink at Chupa♡Cabra's, but unfortunately, the morning was still young. Instead, he channeled his energy into helping apprehend Cancer and the Other Side Gang. On his way to the Death Room, he bumped into Kathi. “Oof! S-sorry!” He immediately bent down to help pick up her papers. “I wasn’t paying attention at all!”  
  
“No, no, no, it’s my fault! I was distracted!” Kathi profusely apologized, gathering everything she dropped. “Sheesh. One moment I’m enjoying myself in the library. The next, Noel asks of me to get as many logs pertaining to the Enchanted Eyes as I could, and this is all I could salvage.”  
  
“I see.”  
  
Being amongst the earlier crowd, Kathi shuffled in her spot nervously, curiosity getting the best of her. “I… heard about what happened earlier.”   
  
Spirit averted his eyes. “… I see.”  
  
Silent for a couple seconds, Kathi used one of her arms to take off her glasses and rub her sore eyes. “Spirit. Please tell me, what is it like being a parent?”  
  
Spirit looked back at her, the words coming out naturally. “Parenthood is tough, especially when you want to do anything for your child. You want them to be safe and be happy; however, you have to be careful about the decisions you make. Because if you’re wrong, you may lose your child.” Now the redhead looked up, beginning to think more carefully. “Did you know being a parent isn’t just having a child? A true parent would love and protect a child, whether he or she is theirs or not, and will make sure they’re happy. In my opinion, Noel showed me that he is Marcellus' true father.” Despite that, Portis’s and Morgan’s words stung him. He closed his eyes. “I want to believe those two have changed. But right now... I'm not so sure.”  
  
Kathi listened to what Spirit said intently and only spoke up when he finished. “I like what you said.” Spirit’s face lit up at the compliment. “But not that it matters, being an outsider to the DWMA’s affairs now. I have no children, no significant other, I'm retired as a Meister, and I rarely see my folks or my nephew. I just lack the understanding to truly have a say in this situation.” She then offered Spirit a sad smile. “What I do know is you're right about parenthood. I pray that you can mend your relationship with Maka and your wife. I’m in your corner.”   
  
Spirit knew how to be a good father and husband, yet his wife still wandered the Earth and Maka still bore some dislike towards him. Evidently, there was something he was still doing wrong, but perhaps, it was punishment for his infidelity. At the very least, no matter what, someone like Kathi supported him, and the consolation brought a smile to his face. “Thanks. Well, I gotta break the news to Lord Death. Bye!”  
  
Upon arrival inside the Death Room, Spirit saw the God of Order standing in front of his mirror. He figured there was no use sugarcoating. “Lord Death, did you hear the news?" Spirit asked as he walked up to him. "Marcellus went back.”   
  
“I know all about that,” Lord Death answered without turning around.   
  
Spirit shoved his hands into his pockets. “So that's it, huh? Now what?”  
  
“Simple. We know where the enemy lies. It's time to act. After all, they agreed to help bring Cancer and their rivals to justice.” Lord Death chuckled and scooted away from the mirror. “So they won't mind if one of us trails behind them, right?”  
  
Immediately appearing on the mirror’s screen was a man wearing a plaid bear mask and a dark suit. The guy chuckled heartily. “Yo, Lord Death! How's it going, Red?”  
  
Spirit blinked in shock. “Tezca?”  
  
The Demon Mirror pounded his chest. “That's my name, buddy, don't wear it out.” He looked around, trying to see who else was with them. Tezca crossed his arms and titled his head. “Where’s that backup you promised me, Lord Death?”  
  
“We have arrived.”  
  
Turning towards the entrance, they saw Mizuki walking in with the mentioned backup: Marvin and Andy from the Correctional Class, Meredith and Luther from Class Half Moon, Klemens and Madeline, and Il Sung from Class Full Moon. By the latter was his weapon partner, Eun Ae – a 15 year old, Korean girl with pale peach skin, brown eyes, and medium-length, curly black hair. She wore a tucked-in white shirt; a navy blue and white uniform jacket with LD’s symbol on the left lapel, a red plaid tie that matched her skirt, white knee-high stockings, and black shoes.  
  
Madeline hopped in her spot, practically bouncing off the nonexistent walls. Because of Klemens’ performance during Shaula’s attack, they were requested to come. “All right, ladies and germs, it’s time to get wild on some punks!” She noticed Klemens simply standing there, and she roughly patted him on the back. “Aw c’mon, Klemmy, don’t look so happy.”  
  
“Why am I here? I’m hardly experienced,” Klemens muttered. Still aimless and being dragged my places by other people, namely Madeline, Klemens deemed his time at the school was one of survival. He wasn’t even fully invested in the cause of the DWMA. He still wondered how his folks did it, keeping their time at the school secret until they somehow figured out he had meister potential.   
  
Andy smacked his teeth and crossed his arms, glimpsing at Klemens and Madeline. “I’m only doing this because the big man here wants us. I’m more used to working with my fam.”   
  
“I share the sentiment…” Luther mumbled under his breath, feeling claustrophobic as he adjusted his tie.   
  
Il Sung glanced at the Andy, his expression neutral. “You mean your homeroom full of sea urchins and rapscallions?”  
  
Andy turned and glared at the Class Full Moon student, instantly gaining a dislike of him. “Look here. You’re going to learn how to keep that smart mouth of your shut around me, Pretty Boy. Is that clear?”  
  
“Il Sung!” The Meister turned Mizuki, the woman gazing sternly at him, demanding both his respect and full attention. “Be nice. That’s an order from your teacher.”  
  
Il Sung suppressed a sigh, crossing his arms. “Yes, my lady.”   
  
“An-y-way,” Marvin piped in, pumping his fist excitedly. He couldn’t wait to get out there and start cracking skulls in the name of the Correctional Class. “We shall be a whirlwind of steel blooming from the shadows, strike, and fade away all the same.”  
  
Klemens’s glum demeanor instantly did a one-eighty as he looked at Marvin, eyes shining with reverence. “Oh my. That poem was fantastic! Did you think of that on the spot? Please teach me.”  
  
The next thing Marvin knew, Klemens was holding his hand like someone preparing to propose to him. Marvin deadpanned. “Dude. Go away.”  
  
“A- _hem_!” Lord Death loudly cleared his throat to reclaim order in his domain, Tezca snickering in the background. “Long story short, we’ve pinpointed enemies in Chicago. You guys are being shipped out there to run surveillance with Tezca. We also have someone else named Joe Buttataki in Chicago working with the local and state police. All of your questions will be answered when you get there.”  
  
“Yes, sir.”  
  
Spirit smirked. _“With all this cooperation, they won't know what hit ‘em!”_  
  
“Great!” Lord Death clapped his hands together. “Now let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work!”  
  


* * *

  
  
Marcellus examined the villa and compared it to the rest of the Chicago Gang territory. Not much had changed, something he found odd considering Portis’s constant preaches about expansion. The chilly, afternoon wind nipped at Marcellus’s exposed skin, making him shiver. He had grown accustomed to the drier climate of Death City. _“As if I needed something else to tell me I don’t belong here.”_  
  
As he stood there absentmindedly, Portis talked with Morgan, Miyuki, Left, and Right. The don glanced at Miyuki. “Remove all of your belongings from your room. That’s Marcellus’s henceforth.” Then, he addressed Left and Right. “Help her out. Once you’re done, prepare a ‘Welcome Home’ party in the auditorium.”  
  
“W-what!?” Miyuki’s pleas for reconsideration degenerated into unintelligible nonsense. A quick glare from both Portis and Morgan stopped her. “Fiiiiine.”   
  
Marcellus rolled his eyes. _“Great. My bedroom is now the one a prostitute was in.”_ He saw at two female gangsters walking by. To prove a point, they wore the same uniform as the males. Marcellus wondered why exactly Portis and Morgan allowed Miyuki to strut around like that.   
  
Miyuki, Left, and Right went on ahead. Once the Ardsens were alone, Portis smiled and held out a hand to his son. “Come. Let us go to my office so we can catch up.”  
  
The corner of Marcellus’s lips twitched, but he kept his expression neutral as he reached out and accepted his father’s hand. As they made the trip, Marcellus rehearsed in his mind what he wanted to say when they were alone. To him, it was simple – no interest in the gang. The problem was how Morgan and Portis would react. Eventually, the three of them settled in Portis’s office.  
  
“What high school would you like to go to?” Portis asked, already looking up schools in and around the Chicago area.  
  
“The best one.”  
  
Morgan twirled strands of her hair between two fingers. “Do you still plan to play basketball? And what major are you pursuing?”  
  
“I do. And law.”  
  
The leader of the De Niro family chuckled. “You always did love that sport since you first started in elementary school. Shame you never won a championship.”  
  
Marcellus sighed, growing sick of the small talk. It was time to move on to the nitty-gritty. “Look, you two,” he began, surprising his parents and grabbing their full attention, “I suppose my return got you thinking, ‘He’s going to succeed the chair’ or ‘we have our heir back’ or ‘the gang will live on.’ I get that. Unfortunately, that’s not where my heart is. I want to just focus on books and ball. Sure, I’ll help out every now and then, but I have no interest in devoting serious time to the gang. Let me be me. Please.”   
  
Expecting the worst, the Demon Bow prepared to hear their objections and why being normal wasn’t going to happen.    
  
“That’s perfectly fine.”  
  
Marcellus nearly fell out of his seat. “W-what? Hold on, what?!” He exchanged confused looks between his mother and father.   
  
Portis propped his elbows up, resting his chin on his interlaced fingers. “We’ve already discussed with Left and Right that they might be our eventual successors.”  
  
“We’ve had so much time to think, and our time with the Reaper and your guardian made it official.” Morgan released a heavy sigh, Noel’s and Spirit’s cutting words deeply ingrained into her memories. “We’re horrible. We neglected you and put the gang before your own needs.” She looked at him resolutely. “Not this time. You are our main priority.”  
  
“So, if you want to be a normal teenaged boy, that’s fine. We’ll prepare you accordingly.” Portis stared hard at Marcellus, conveying his seriousness. “Anything to make it up to you.”   
  
The former Academy student sat there shocked. Apparently, running away really was the lesson Portis and Morgan needed. “Oh… um… Okay.” He shuffled awkwardly in his seat. He honestly anticipated a debate to happen for the next several minutes, so he had nothing else to talk about. Neither did his parents since they fell silent themselves. Noticing the surgical mask on his mother’s face, Marcellus cleared his throat to regain his composure. “So, um, Morgan? What’s up with you?”  
  
Morgan sighed heavily again. “I’ve been fighting a seriously bad case of influenza for weeks on end.”  
  
“Are you okay?”  
  
She shrugged her shoulders. “Who knows when I’ll get better.”  
  
The subject gave Portis a reason to step in and talk. “I’ll tell you, Marcellus, it’s tough to do things without a partner.” He rubbed his forehead with a groan. “Soriano and the Other Side Gang are nuisances as ever.”  
  
“That’s lovely…” Marcellus grumbled. Surprisingly, he shared the widespread hatred towards the OGs.   
  
A soft knock on the door interrupted the conversation, Portis calling the visitor in. It was Left and Right, the twin henchmen bowing respectfully. “Preparations are complete, Don Portis, Master Morgan.”   
  
“Excellent.” Portis stood up and looked at his son. “Come, Marcellus.”  
  
At the second floor of the villa, Left and Right kept the door open for Marcellus to enter. Brown was the theme of the bedroom. It contained a full-sized bed, headboard, full wide dresser, nightstand, hanging bookshelf, and just enough floor space to walk around in. He instantly recognized it and chuckled, feeling a sense of nostalgia. “My old room. Plain just like I remember.”  
  
“We’ll talk more at the reception, Marcellus,” Portis stated at the doorway, “I’m sure you want time to rest and relax, so we’ll leave you alone.”  
  
“I’ll come by when time draws near,” Morgan announced. Portis, Left, and Right walked off, leaving the mother and son alone. Marcellus, however, stood in the middle of his room, back turned to the door. Morgan placed a hand over her heart and summoned the strength to say, “We love you.”  
  
No reaction.  
  
Morgan suppressed a sigh, gently closing the door. _“Too soon, I guess.”_  
  
Finally alone, Marcellus yawned and stretched. This had been one of the longest days of his life. Tired, sore, and stressed out, a nice nap was in order. As he prepared to hop right into bed, a silky-smooth voice called out to him, “Don’t be so rude to them.” Releasing a quick shriek of surprise, Marcellus missed his bed and hit the floor. He propped himself up on his elbows and saw Miyuki standing there at the door. “I’d kill to have a loving mom and dad like them.”  
  
Marcellus narrowed his eyes, shooting to his feet. “Who’s talking?”  
  
“Oh, me?” Miyuki innocently pointed to herself. “Let's see, my name is Miyuki. I love the color green, I love to party, wombats are my favorite animal, I love to travel, I love going to the club on Fridays, I love my clothes, I love to go shopping, I am high-ranking officer in your parents’ gang, I have a wonderful younger sister who I’m working to support, annnnd that’s about it.”  
  
“That’s… cool,” Marcellus said halfheartedly. He studied the woman. With her cheerful smile and outgoing demeanor, she seemed harmless enough, but many red flags were waving in Marcellus’s mind. He was going with them. “Can you leave please? I want my privacy.”  
  
“To what? Rub one off?” A deadpan glare being her response, Miyuki’s smile disappeared, going back to the previous subject. “Give Big Daddy P and Morgan a chance. They deserve it. I’m telling you from experience, hold onto them because you never know what’ll happen.” The witch in disguise sauntered over to the sole window, pulled the drapes apart, and stared out into the sky. “When I was younger, my mother hid me and my little sister as she fought off some bad guys. I saw how she fought bravely against them, but they were too much for her. In the end... they killed her. Before I knew it, my sister and I were motherless...and alone.” Rage filled her up. She clenched a fist, resting her arm on the window’s frame. “But I will never forget _their_ faces. His or hers. Oh, the nightmares I have of someone taking my or my sister’s life. No, I will never let that happen.”  
  
 _“Great. Another victim of parent murder. I hope I didn’t sound like that when I talked to Joe.”_ Marcellus wasn’t a psychiatrist or a shoulder to cry on. Especially for somebody who was a stranger at worst, a subordinate at best. “Not to sound like a jerk, but why are you telling me this?”  
  
Miyuki blushed in embarrassment, whipping around to face him, and chuckled sheepishly. “Uh, sorry for the rant, Marcey. Anyway, it’s like they say, ‘you never miss something until it’s gone.’ Cherish them, okay?”  
  
Out of nowhere, Morgan kicked open Marcellus’s bedroom door, her sidearm pointed directly at Miyuki’s head. Her grip on the gun was so tight her knuckles turned white. “Get. Out. Now.”  
  
“ _Okay, going_!” Miyuki shrieked, leaving the room at the speed of sound.   
  
Morgan put away her sidearm and grabbed the doorknob. She glanced dryly at her son. “Check behind the door and lock it every time.”   
  
Closing it with a slam, Marcellus stood there, mouth agape, as he tried to make sense of the last few minutes. With a silent scoff, he kicked off his shoes, flung off his peajacket, and jumped onto his bed. “Screw it. It’s naptime.”   
  


* * *

  
  
“Welcome back, Marcellus!”  
  
Wearing their finest suits or dresses, the Chicago Underground Association toasted their drinks. Champagne bottles popped, music blared, and merriment ensued. People either drank, danced, or told jokes and stories. Rarely did the leaders hold parties at home like this. At some point or another, Chicago Gangsters shook Marcellus’s hand to either introduce themselves or welcome him back. All the while, he tried his best to keep a smile on his face, not wanting to ruin everyone’s mood.   
  
During a time when he was left alone, Marcellus tugged at the collar of his pinstripe black and blue suit. _“God, I hate dressing up so much.”_ Fidgeting, the Demon Bow constantly checked the time. Thirty minutes was how long he planned to be here. He wanted to go back to sleep and be gone before people got drunk out of their minds.   
  
“U-Um. Excuse me?”  
  
Marcellus looked up from his phone to see three girls around his age standing in front of him. _“Please don’t ask me to dance. Please don’t ask me to dance. Please don’t—”_  
  
“We just wanted to welcome you back.”  
  
“And we hope to serve you well.”  
  
“We’ll seen you around. Mr. Ardsen. Don’t forget us, ‘k?”  
  
 _“Hallelujah!”_ For their decision not to put him through more torment, Marcellus offered a small smile. “Thanks. Take care.” The girls blushed and hurried off, likely to brag to their other friends. He released a long, drawn-out sigh of relief.   
  
Marcellus did not notice Portis, wearing his outfit from before, and Morgan, who had the gall to keep on her civilian clothes, walk over. The don laughed heartily and patted his son roughly on his back. “What’s wrong? Don’t like being chased?”  
  
Marcellus rolled his shoulder; his dad was as strong as he looked. “No. Believe it or not, that actually makes it easier.” His parents burst out laughing. Once they were done, Marcellus continued, “Really, it’s because I want to get my life straightened out, focus on myself right now. Until then, I consider myself unprepared for any kind of relationship.”  
  
“We understand,” Morgan replied, playing with her hair yet again, “But know that some of the women here won’t see it that way.” She scanned the auditorium, eyeing the female population including the three who just approached him. “Some see you as a quick way to get into the Ardsen fortune. They’ll come at you slyly and aggressively.”  
  
“So be careful,” Portis added in, “Find the right one. Fall in love with a girl who loves you for you.” Portis paused for a brief moment. “Or guy if you swing that way.”  
  
Morgan burst out into a fit of giggles. Marcellus found himself laughing along with Portis. That was one of the charms of the Chicago Gang. As long as you followed the rules and proved your worth, anyone of any background was welcome.   
  
“Thanks for being understanding.” The don and matriarch nodded and walked off to survey the surroundings. Never knew when trouble lurked. When no one was looking, Marcellus flipped open his cellphone. He was greeted with a picture of himself, Nayumi, the twins, and Noel taken the first time they arrived in Death City. _“Come on, Noel, I believe in you guys. Find the answer and get me out of here.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the sad scenes weren't too cheesy. As always, leave feedback to let me know what I need to improve on or what needs to stay. Trying to get better as a writer here.
> 
> The action returns next chapter. Finally, huh?


	43. Consequences and Results

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When you introduce too many variables into an equation, you're bound to make a mistake solving it. Unprecedented changes happen today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.

**Consequences and Results**  
  
Having her fill of alcoholic beverages and dancing, Miyuki excused herself out of the auditorium. It was late and time to contact her little sister. She hid herself in the shadows, giving the area an once-over to make sure no one was around. She then removed a pocket-sized crystal ball from her person. "Womba batta wom wom ba ba wom!" The artifact glowed slightly, connecting to the one her sister owned. “Hey Tazmina~”  
  
“Oh Walena! Where have you been? I cooked dinner two hours ago!”  
  
“Oh, I'm sorry, little sis.” Walena rested against the wall. “I've been so busy with things I lost track of time.”  
  
“You've been doing this a lot lately.”  
  
Walena sighed. “I know, but this won't happen again.”  
  
“It’s alright. So how was your day?”  
  
She took a quick look at the auditorium, still hearing the music blare, but she hoped Tazmina couldn’t. “Pretty good. Yours?”  
  
“Oh, the usual. I got a bunch of spell books. So I'm home studying.”  
  
Walena stuck her tongue and blew a raspberry to express her disapproval. “Sounds boring and stressful.”  
  
“Well, what do you think that Witch Mass was about? Me moving on up. I must gain knowledge of a variety of spells and learned the history of Witches, of Magic itself to be a good servant for Grand Witch Mabaa.”  
  
The older Devilana smiled, full of pride. “That's why you’re going to be a great Witch.”  
  
“Yeah. Just like Mom and Dad,” Tazmina said nostalgically. Walena’s smile faded and she fell silent. Noticing this, Tazmina kept the conversation going. “So when are you going to be home?”  
  
Walena perked up. “I’m coming home now, so don’t worry your pretty little head.”  
  
“OK. I’ll reheat dinner then. Love you.”  
  
“Love you too.” The witch in disguise ended the call, putting the crystal ball away. Walena loved her sister, she really did, but in a world that persecuted witches with little to no justice for their murders, protecting her was extremely difficult. All she wanted was to find happiness for the two of them. The Chicago Gang was nothing but a means to an end for her – to financially provide for her and Tazmina, and to see if the people in it and the land they owned were be a nice environment to put Tazmina in.  
  
She tightened her grip on the crystal ball, eyes glowing slightly. “Don’t worry, Tazzy, this tragedy we call life will be over soon enough.”  
  
“What are you doing out here by yourself?”  
  
Walena reacted on instinct, producing a blade out of nowhere and lunging into the cloaked man near her. The blade sunk into the flesh with ease. She smiled wickedly. “Sorry~ I’m not easy, good sir.” When she heard no strained choking, Walena’s smile vanished, looking to see the person in question remove his hood. Her eyes widened. “Y-You’re the crab man who hangs out with Cancer!”  
  
“Brilliant observation.” Henderson tightly seized Walena’s wrist, making her wince in pain, and extracted the knife from his body. The blade dripped with blue blood. The stab wound itself closed up in a flash, his regeneration powers working. “And it’s horseshoe crab, mind you.”  
  
“U-Um.” She smiled sheepishly, sensing the displeasure in his tone. “You’re not mad at me, are you?”  
  
“Never mind that,” Henderson said, checking to see if any blood got on his cloak, “What do you intend to end? The ‘tragedy’ or ‘life’ itself?”  
  
Walena looked around, once again making sure nobody else was around. “Uh, it’s complicated. You see, I’m trying to put Tazmina in a better place that’s not Earth or the Witch Realm. She’s not safe in either place.” Making the bloody knife disappear, the witch held up her hands up, palms facing each other. In the space, she created an African voodoo mask. “With these, I’m going to make the perfect citizens of our little personal utopia. Now, I just have to find where to station it, and all is well. I think I’m going to pick this place. What do you think, Mr. Crab-Man?”  
  
“It’s _Henderson_ , Ms. Devilana. And does she know of your goal?”  
  
Walena chewed on her lower lip, making the mask vanish in green light. “Well, no, but she’ll like it. Trust me on that.”  
  
“Hm. If you are requesting critique, this territory will not be here once Lady Cancer is done,” Henderson answered earnestly.  
  
Walena pursed lips so Henderson couldn’t see her gritted teeth. She already had one strike for stabbing him. He just needed a little convincing, an explanation to make him see her point. “You must understand, Henderson.” She crossed her arms under her chest and walked away a little, back turned to him. “The world has neither justice, god, nor order. It's all nothing but wretched extravagance. The witch hunts have been going since Demon Weapons and Meisters began the creation of Death Scythes. Mabaa and the Witch Council have done nothing to even slow them down. If anything, it’s gotten worse. This is not a sisterhood, it’s a holocaust. My mother was a victim, and I’ll be damned if me and Taz become ones ourselves.” Abandoning dignity, she whipped back around and groveled at Henderson’s ‘feet’. “That’s why I _beg_ you! Have Cancer spare at least _some_ of the Chicago Gang for me to use!”  
  
Henderson sighed exasperatedly, holding out his humanlike hand to help the witch to her feet. “I’m afraid the Chicago Underground Association is largely irrelevant to my plans or more importantly Lady Cancer’s. She intends to honor her deal with Neptune and the Other Side Gang. One way or another, the Chicago Gang will fall.” He saw the corner of her lips twitch to form to a sneer. Perhaps he was being a bit rude with her. After all, unlike himself, Cancer, and Neptune, Walena wasn’t exactly bound to a vow of secrecy. “However, Walena Devilana, here’s something you can find solace in.” She raised an eyebrow, intrigued, and he continued, “Stay with Novus Partus and help complete Project Omega. Your visionary haven, your paradise, can be made. At its core, Project Omega is meant to change the world through destruction and recreation. Siding with us means you and your kin can share the glory.”  
  
Figuring that was the best she was going to get, Walena crossed her arms with a huff, pouting. “Fiiiiine.”  
  
“Now, I regret to announce I was unable to get all of the Anria out of here by their return, meaning I have to do the rest clandestinely.” At this point, both of them heard the music shut off in the distance. That meant the gang members were coming out soon. “Unfortunately, I have another pressing matter to attend to right now. Walena, hold off on touching base with Lady Cancer until I’m finished.”  
  
“Right.” Already hearing chatter, the two Novus Partus members made themselves scarce.  
  


* * *

  
  
_Month 3, Week 1, Day 6 (Saturday, March 7th)_  
  
In the Netherlands DWMA base, the overnight security guards kept themselves awake by drinking coffee and engaging in idle chatter, occasionally glancing at the myriad of video screens in front of them. One of them stood from his seat and stretched, growing tired of sitting down. “Who’s this guy Lord Death is sending over? I mean, it’s two o’clock in the morning. Can’t this wait?”  
  
“It can’t,” his partner replied, shaking his head, “He wants this thing dead and gone now.” He examined the video screen showing Gilgamesh. Just the other day, they had to add more chains to keep the advanced Anria suitably incapacitated. Truly, it had become more humanlike, not to mention bigger. “You must admit, it does look different from when it first came here. That’s a little alarming.”  
  
Rapid beeping was heard, and the first security guard checked the corresponding screen. At the front gate, Roger and Francis were being escorted in. Francis wore a ruffled shirt with a blue-green jacket, pants, and shoes. Roger had on an unbuttoned white and untucked dress shirt, a loose tie, and a pair of dark dress pants and shoes. “That’s them.” The two guards grabbed their belongings and headed out, locking the door behind them with both a code and a key.  
  
Minutes later, Roger and Francis followed the DWMA scientists into the chamber holding Gilgamesh. All layers of security were on standby, watching out for Roger and Francis in case something went awry. “So, let me get this straight,” Francis spoke after hearing the accounts from the scientists, “Not only can this thing talk coherently, but also it has undergone metamorphosis to the point it looks humanoid?”  
  
“No, we said human _like_ ,” a scientist corrected, looking at the Technologic Demon Weapon over her shoulder, “Let’s not mix up this thing with the human _oid_ Shambling Anria. But, yes, that seems to be the case.”  
  
Roger released a tired yawn, still a little hungover. “Yet another reason why those Anria have got to go. If they get smarter and whatnot through age, that’s trouble waiting to happen.”  
  
Suddenly, clamor sounded ahead, followed by the alarms going off. All the security rushed up ahead to Gilgamesh’s chamber. Roger deadpanned at the sight. “Don’t tell me. It got itself free?” Rolling his eyes, Francis grabbed Roger by his shirt and dragged him along. Reaching the chamber, the two brothers suddenly ducked to avoid being hit by a thrown guard.  
  
Minya slowly walked to Gilgamesh. Anyone who dared to strike it was swatted aside without a drop in form. Two Surveillance Crabs were perched on its shoulders, giving Henderson back in Subterrene a visual and audio of the calamity. “So it had a friend. How nice.” Roger looked at Francis and nodded. The Technologic Demon Weapon dematerialized into bits of blue-green data, cloaked Roger, and suited him up in armor.  
  
Gilgamesh lifted its head slightly and saw Roger preparing a javelin of light. “Behind you! The enemy attacks!” Despite the prior warning, Minya stood there as if it fell on deaf ears. From its clenched claws, a scissor-shaped blade of crystals jutted out. Before it freed Gilgamesh, Roger threw the energy javelin and skewered Minya right through its torso. Guards followed up by throwing their own bladed weapons, turning the creature into a pincushion. Gilgamesh growled in frustration. “Are you _trying_ to get yourself killed?!”  
  
At Cancer’s sanctuary, occasionally looking over his shoulder in case she appeared, Henderson groaned in disdain. “Why must you still do this?”  
  
Minya stood there motionless, giving the impression to Roger and security it died standing up. Right when they lowered their guards, Minya swung its blade, severing some of the shackles and chains. Pleasantly surprised, Gilgamesh chortled. “Oh, you son of a fish, trying to be gallant for me. A flattering gesture, but you needn’t disfigure yourself for me!”  
  
Roger activated his armor’s thrusters and tackled Minya at high speeds midflight, the weapons piercing the intruder flying out on contact. He slammed it into the fortified wall and put one his palms into its face. “All right, time to give you the same treatment.” Before he got the chance to fire, Minya’s other hand produced a blade. It immediately punctured the armor and struck Roger’s skin below.  
  
Both of the Moncharmin Brothers screamed out of pain, the great heat coming off the blade igniting their pain receptors. Roger reflexively pushed away from Minya, landed, and placed a hand on the wound. His blood began to dribble out. “Th-That blade is searing hot! Francis, what’s up with that?!”  
  
“I’m running an analysis based on flame temperatures,” Francis replied, consciously ignoring his own pain so he could concentrate, “While it’s hard to pinpoint an exact average, I’d guess that blade is roughly as hot as blue fire.”  
  
“Blue fire, huh?” Roger watched as Minya landed before them. Both blades, white and giving off steam, looked poised and ready to cause more damage than that. “If it can puncture our armor and hurt us, we can’t afford to get hit.” Taking a step, Roger keeled over a little. “Damn it! That hurts like hell!”  
  
Meanwhile, Gilgamesh took a deep breath and brought up one of his feet with a stomp, the crystals and rocks having formed armored boots. Thanks to the Minya slicing off some of the restraints, it was much more comfortable to move around. The advanced Anria rose, standing at a whole eight feet tall.  
  
“Sedate that monster! Hurry before it gets free!”  
  
The tranquilizer guns were taken out by all who had one. Gilgamesh groped around until it grasped a chain that carried a boulder each. Once the tranqs were fired, Gilgamesh pulled up the boulders toward him, grabbed ahold, and used them as shields to intercept the sedatives. Then, he threw the boulders, sending guards flying away and into one another. With another deep breath, Gilgamesh fleshed its muscle and broke off the rest of its restraints.  
  
“Finally…” It sighed content, cracking its head and flexing its arms. All of its exposed muscles rippled. After blasting Minya away, Roger redirected his attention to the panic, seeing Gilgamesh free itself. His eyes widened as he saw just what all the hype was about. Armor the same color as its lesser brethren coated Gilgamesh’s torso, pelvic, and forearms. What stood out were spikes on and across its shoulders like some kind of barbarian. “Humanlike, my foot! That thing is a beast!”  
  
Gilgamesh casted an irritated look with its solid green eyes. “Be silent, wretch. Now you face I, the mightiest of Anria to ever grace this rock you call Earth. Gird your loins and prepare for execution!”  
  
“Enough of your prattling—” Roger never finished his sentence; Gilgamesh lunged with such speed it scored an unanswered sucker punch dead in Roger’s helmeted face. The doors to the chamber flew off their hinges with a thunderous boom. Roger bounced on the floor several times before crashing into another wall, a large dent forming on impact. Roger crumpled to the floor, the visor opening up to reveal his glazed eyes. Once he came to, he glimpsed his surroundings before asking, “Francis. How’d I get all the way over here?”  
  
“Come, my gracious aid!” Gilgamesh called out to Minya, “It is time to depart!” Hearing more people rush in, Gilgamesh looked to see more guards, some of them transforming and confirming their status as Demon Weapons. It slammed its fists on the floor and swiped its foot like a bull ready to rampage. “ _Chaaaaaaarge_!” Roaring, Gilgamesh sprinted forward with reckless abandon, bulldozing through the humans without a drop in speed. Meanwhile, Minya was right behind it, preferring to swerve through the attacking guards whilst dodging all strikes. After jumping over the swipe of a sword, Minya proceeded to run and skip across the masses using their faces as platforms.  
  
Having recovered, Roger eventually saw the two coming his way. “That’s it. Time to stop them once and for all. Francis, we need the cryostasis liquid in the form of pellets.”  
  
A series of beeps sounded inside Roger’s helmet as Francis went to work. A small minigun then appeared on Roger’s right forearm. “Locked and loaded,” Francis announced.  
  
Roger took aim at the charging Gilgamesh, smirking when the advanced Anria actually skidded to a halt. “Back in your cage, Mr. Almighty.” He fired, sending an array of cryostasis pellets and followed up with another right behind.  
  
That’s when Minya swooped in and threw Gilgamesh into the air. Seeing the oncoming projectiles, Minya spun a quick two times, swinging one leg, and leapt, knees bent and arms outstretched as it gained the height to clear the first round. Reaching the floor in a second count, it then jumped once more, arms and legs extended to avoid the next set of pellets, practically lying in the air. As soon as Minya landed on its feet, it burst into a high jump, caught Gilgamesh, and drove themselves into the weaker wall up ahead.  
  
Roger watched dumbfounded, only coming to when Minya created the hole. “Was that The Butterfly chained directly into a 540 Battement en Rond?! I haven’t seen that done since Claudia danced ballet!”  
  
Henderson chuckled victoriously. “See what happens when you follow directions? Now then, I’m activating the teleporter. It’s time to come home.”  
  
Roger tried to give chase like everyone else around him, but his wound flared up with pain, forcing to use the wall to keep himself upright. “Roger, you need medical treatment. Leave it to the others.”  
  
“If I have to.”  
  
The two humanlike Anria arrived at the outer walls of the Netherland DWMA Base, witnessing a large group of officers and fighters gathering around to confront them. Luckily, a portal formed right beside them. Smirking, Gilgamesh turned to the masses. “Foolish humans! See how weak you are! This is your comeuppance for your treatment of I, the Almighty Gilgamesh! Mark my words. I will return one day when the Great Creator wants me to utterly obliterate you—”  
  
A girder fell on Gilgamesh’s head, knocking it out instantly.  
  
Hearing Gilgamesh snore obnoxiously loudly, Minya released an inaudible sigh and hoisted it over its shoulders, going through the portal.  
  


* * *

  
  
_Month 3, Week 2, Day 1 (Monday, March 9th)_  
  
School went off without a hitch for everyone in the Academy. The higher-ups waited anxiously for any new developments in Chicago, Illinois while the students continued getting their lesson and training. During the break period, as a favor from both Jacqueline and Rowena, Kim used her healing powers on the still-unconscious Tsuji in the Dispensary.  
  
Hands glowing slightly, beads of sweat formed and slid down the side of Kim’s face. “Hey, Rowena, can you give him some more water?” Kim requested, giving her a brief instruction on how to use the IV bag to hydrate him.  
  
After doing so, Rowena stepped back and crossed her arms. “So what exactly are you doing?”  
  
“I’m using Regeneration Magic to make his body produce more blood cells to stabilize him. So he can wake up and get back on his feet.” Kim constantly moved one of her hands. “With this hand, I’m making his bone marrow make all the blood cells he needs.” Her other hand stayed around the area where his digestive tract was. “This hand is taking water and making plasma, the liquid stuff the blood cells are carried in.”  
  
“Where’d you learn about this, Kim?” Jacqueline asked, thinking to herself how much she improved as a healer.  
  
“Stein’s Medical Club.” Kim slowly stopped using her spell and panted slightly. “I’m running out of energy, but that should be enough. Professor Stein and Nygus already did most of the work anyway.” She put more water into his IV bag to continue hydrating him. As she walked by Rowena, she tossed her an innocent smile. “You owe me money for this by the way.”  
  
“I don’t owe you shit. Get out of here.” Rowena playfully pushed Kim, the two girls laughing as the latter departed to get a snack before her next period. The redhead sighed, glancing at her twin brother. “I just wished he’d wake up. He’s been out the whole weekend.”  
  
“He’ll be fine. He’s stronger than that,” Jacqueline said reassuringly, examining Tsuji’s features. The color long returned to his face, and he looked peaceful even in unconsciousness. All good signs – he had escaped death.  
  
Rowena placed a watermelon-flavored lollipop at Tsuji’s bedside. “Yeah, but he ain’t gonna like the news when he does.” The meister reached over and combed her fingers through Tsuji's hair, her own features tightening with conviction. “Hang in there. We'll get all this fixed one way or another.” Pulling her hand back, she leaned down and sisterly kissed Tsuji's forehead.  
  
“How sweet of you, Sis.”  
  
Rowena pulled back with a start, seeing an ear-to-ear grin on Tsuji’s face through the oxygen mask. His eyes were barely open, but she never missed the mischievous glint in them. “Ts-Tsuji?!”  
  
“That’s what Old Lady and Old Man named me,” Tsuji replied, his voice coarse from sleep.  
  
Rowena shook her head but with a relieved smile on her face. “For someone who just went through what you did, I can’t believe you’re makin’ jokes.”  
  
Tsuji chuckled weakly. “I’ve been havin’ mood swings all these past few weeks… Can I at least be myself?” He went from his usual self to a depressed boy with low self-esteem to his usual self again to a self-absorbed jerk drunk on power and finally back to his usual self. In his eyes, enough was enough – it was time to stay normal again.  
  
Keeping quiet until the siblings were done reconnecting, Jacqueline walked around to the opposite bedside. “It’s so great to have you back.” She placed a hand on heart, remembering exactly how fast and hard it beat this past Friday. “You threw up a lot of blood. I was really scared. We feared you dead.”  
  
Tsuji’s eyes shot open some more. “Is… _that_ what happened?” He received confirmatory nods from both girls. Now that the haze inside his head began to go away, the events leading up to his blackout became clear. _“Did I fail my trial? Great, now what?”_ Idly looking off to the side, he spotted the watermelon lollipop on the nightstand. “Heh. He left me a get-well present. I knew he liked me.”  
  
Jacqueline looked at Rowena and chewed on her lower lip, fighting the urge to tell him the truth. Rowena nodded grimly. There was no use lying to him, especially since there were many witnesses and rumors travelled fast around the school. “There’s more to it than that,” the redhead spoke, grabbing her brother’s attention, “Marcellus… left.”  
  
They explained the whole story to him, and Tsuji lied expressionless as they did. Even after they finished, he made no immediate response, instead deciding to ponder. First and foremost, he hated it all. He lost his best friend and his partner, and it was because of his inability to see the signs and master the Enchanted Eyes. But, at the same time, it was now up to him to figure how to get him back even if that had to be done bedridden. Now wasn’t the time to be scared. “I see” was his toneless reply.  
  
Rowena shuffled awkwardly in her spot. Perhaps he hadn’t the strength to make an argument, or he was simply that mad. The tension unbearable, she then announced, “Well, um, break period is almost over, so I need to go. I’ll come by later after me and Nayumi get done tryin’ to improve her Mode Changes. Later!” She hurried out, leaving Jackie alone with Tsuji.  
  
Jacqueline examined Tsuji’s face. No emotion whatsoever. Swallowing the lump in her throat, the Demon Lantern spoke, “Look, uh, I know you’re upset about Marcellus’s choice, but you got to understand. He’s doing this for you.” When he suddenly looked at her, she paused to summon the strength to continue, “The last thing he wants to know is his sacrifice is unwanted. I mean, sometimes, we make choices on the fly because nobody will approve of them.” She sighed, gazing dropped as she thought about her own situation. “I know the feeling more than anyone else.”  
  
The archer quirked a brow. “Oh, is that so?”  
  
Jacqueline shot her head up, turning red, thinking she said too much. “U-Um… Well! I’ll leave you alone too! Bye!”  
  
Quickly leaving the Dispensary, this left Tsuji alone in complete silence. The boy sighed as tried his best to relax. “They coulda at least got me a snack or drink.”  
  


* * *

  
  
Never did either Kujira or Walena think they’d hang out together. Their sets had been rivals since “ancient times,” and the two knew next to nothing about one another and likely wouldn’t have known each other if it weren’t for the circumstances. Yet, with Tazmina engaged in studying and Cancer working restlessly on Project Omega, the older sisters were bored.  
  
“Don’t think this means we’re friends,” Kujira insisted. She wore the punkish black clothes she kept beneath her gang’s long coat. Crossing her legs at her ankles, she leaned back and stretched her arms above her head. Two men passing by took note of how the action pushed out her chest, but she turned their heads away with a single glare.  
  
Walena rolled her eyes. “Never said anything like that.” She decided to wear a sweater with a peacoat, skirt, tights, and boots. Something surprisingly conservative of her. The witch threw her head back and released a skyward groan of frustration. “Man! This would be the perfect time to go clubbing if it wasn’t midday Monday!”  
  
“Is that how you kill time?”  
  
“Yeah. Sometimes I comb my hair, primp, go shopping, watch over my sister, and do whatever Don Portis or Master Morgan tells me. What about you?”  
  
Kujira shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. “Train, do whatever Boss orders, check everyone’s inventory including my own.”  
  
“God. You’re more boring than Tazzy is.”  
  
Kujira deadpanned. “Haha. Very funny. Instead of critiquing my way of life, why don’t you tell me what’s been going on?”  
  
“To be honest, nothing really.” She placed a finger on her chin, looking up to the sky contemplatively. “I mean, things got shaken up when it was suddenly announced the son of Don Portis and Master Morgan came back to the gang.”  
  
The Lucrenian froze and slowly turned her head to Walena. “Does his name happen to be Marcellus?”  
  
Walena pointed at Kujira. “Yeah! That’s him!”  
  
Kujira jumped out of the bench and smiled brightly at Walena. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to spend the rest of the day alone. Toodles!”  
  
The Lucrenian sprinted off, slowing down for nothing. Walena reached out to her, a spotlight appearing out of where to highlight her glittering tears of rejection. “W-Wait! Don’t leave me! _I can’t go on without yoooou_!”  
  
...  
  
Soriano could not tear his eyes away from the chessboard. Every speck of dust was blown away, all pieces were perfectly in line, but no new moves had been made since Kujira last talked to him. Burning off nervous energy by repeatedly tapping his foot, Soriano thought to himself how peculiar this period of inaction was. _“Somebody’s gotta be doing something, but I don’t know what. I could be at a disadvantage and not even know it.”_  
  
“BOSS!” Kujira shouted, pounding at the door rapidly like she was the police.  
  
Soriano jerked to an upright position only to relax when he heard her voice. “Come in! Come in! Just stop already.”  
  
Kujira rushed in, standing before her boss with her hands on her knees and panting heavily. Finally catching her breath, the witch slammed her hands on Soriano’s desk. “BOSS! You won’t believe this! Their son came back! You know, Marcellus?”  
  
The Other Side Gang leader sat there staring blankly at his subordinate for a good twenty seconds. “What?”  
  
Kujira straightened up, adjusting her glasses. “Marcellus returned.”  
  
When the news registered to him, a smile broke out on Soriano’s face. “Finally, some leverage.” Soriano eyed his chessboard, taking a king from one side and a queen and pawn from the other and putting them to the fore. He then stood from his chair and headed to his nearby closet. “Portis is at his most dangerous when he can think clearly.” He removed his black and red overjacket and replaced it with a pure white coat, buttoning it up. He also took out a white fedora and put it on his head. “So, we have to make sure he can’t. After all, he’s a family man.”  
  
From the same closet, he pulled out a case and walked over to his desk. Putting in the combination, he opened it to reveal an AA-12 shotgun. He bought this long ago and only busted it out on the most important of escapades. He took it out to make sure it was still in mint condition. “Something happens to them, that tower of cards will fall.”  
  
At the sounds of him cocking the shotgun, Kujira’s eyes widened in realization. _“He’s going to kill them.”_  
  
Soriano went over to his phone and pressed a button to contact all gang members. “Ok, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. Patrol the city and be on the lookout for Morgan and Marcellus Ardsen. Anything major comes back to my ears. Don’t draw attention, stay incognito, and for the love of God, don’t get arrested. If you do, well, it was nice knowing you. There are two kinds of people. Smart people who know how to survive and dumb people who got nothing to live for.”  
  
He noticed Kujira standing there and frowned. “Well? Go get ready. You and I will sack out together.”  
  
Kujira straightened in her stance and nodded shakily. “R-Right. Sure thing, Boss.” Leaving, the conscience screamed at her not to partake in it. Truth be told, despite a longer tenure in the Other Side Gang than Soriano himself, being a Witch and all, she never once killed anymore. Beaten up and injured someone, yes, but never killed. She was only numb to witnessing another doing the act. “It’s a dull job, but somebody’s gotta do it. It provides clothing, food, interaction, and reunited me with Cancer.”  
  
Even when seeing it that way, a pit formed in Kujira’s stomach, aware of the bedlam that awaited. _“I am about to have a front-row seat to the biggest war in the gangs’ history.”_  
  


* * *

  
  
Portis mulled over everything Lord Death told him in Friday's meeting. Sure, he and Morgan had all the qualities to live a life outside of the Chicago Underground Association, but starting one was the difficult part. They weren’t exactly unknowns. Quite a few people on both sides of the law knew of them. Also, up and shutting down the organization down was a terrible idea. A riot was sure to happen, and outstanding clients would be angry.  
  
“I’m coming in.” Morgan arbitrarily let herself in and took her usual seat in the office. “I'm bored. Tell me what's on your mind.”  
  
Portis reclined, the office chair creaking, drumming his fingers on the edge of the armrests. “I was thinking about the Grim Reaper when he told us we could be involved in more respectable occupations. Is that a mere fallacy or a definite possibility?”  
  
“You'd have to consider everything before reaching a conclusive answer.”  
  
Portis chuckled wryly. “I guess I’m not the only one who’s been thinking about it.”  
  
“Of course not. We already have one foot in the door. Left and Right have all but been named the new leaders, both of us are multi-faceted, and cutting off ties to the gang will please Marcellus.”  
  
“Where would we go? We'd have to practically change our whole identities, and I'd like for Marcellus to get at least a semester, preferably a year, of school in before we moved him out again.”  
  
Morgan shrugged. “We could go to Italy. I speak the language fluently.” It wasn’t a serious suggestion, one that made the two chuckle. “We have plenty of time to think about that. For now, let’s worry about the present.”  
  
“Right.”  
  
Cancer received her most recent shipment. The woman made no indication she knew of his escapade with Lord Death. The longer it stayed that way, the better. The containment facility was locked off to anyone not a high-ranking gangster, Miyuki excluded at Morgan's insistence. That way, if the Academy elected to come get the Anria, then so be it. Finally, he put ears in the city to hear the word on the street, but nothing about the Other Side Gang came up. Until the DWMA definitively ended them, their guards were up on all sides.  
  
“Do you mind if I go pick up Marcellus?” Morgan suddenly asked as she played with her hair.  
  
Portis gave her a stern look. “Morgan. You're sick.”  
  
“Yes, and getting up, moving around, and taking in fresh air makes me feel better,” she responded in a matter-of-fact tone. Portis’s look never waned. With a sigh, she relented. “If it makes you feel better, I'll take the doctor with me.”  
  
“ _And_ he will drive.” Portis demanded, holding up a finger like a parent reprimanding their child. Morgan briefly stuck her tongue out, feeling a little childish. Shaking his head, Portis then said, “Come to think of it, did you know Marcellus got a driver's license in Death City? He needs his own car. The less overt connections he has with us, the better.”  
  
Morgan smiled a large smile behind her surgical mask. “Which is why I want to enjoy the opportunity while I can.”  
  
Portis groaned. It was obvious to him he wasn’t going to win this debate. “Fine. He is dismissed at 2:30.” Morgan stood from her seat, triumphant, and proceeded to exit. “Morgan?” He called out, stopping her at the door. Portis pursed his lips. “You be careful now, all right?”  
  
Morgan nodded reassuringly. “I will.”  
  


* * *

  
  
Even after leaving early, Morgan and the gang doctor found themselves cutting it close thanks to the afternoon Chicago traffic. Luckily, Morgan was a patient one, passing the time by immersing herself in her thoughts. The doctor gazed at her from the corner of his eyes. Before they left, he performed yet another checkup on her. Exhaling sharply, he said, “Master Morgan, if I may speak freely, when do you plan to tell—”  
  
“When I can no longer function as an individual,” she cut in, bursting into a coughing fit. There was a reason why Morgan had yet to recover. The doctor found out Morgan also suffered from pneumonia. Pneumonia with the flu was a potentially lethal combination – it could reduce oxygen supply to the lungs and lead to fluid buildup. Morgan’s occasionally violent coughing fits, like right now, and lack of progress made the two of them assume the worst.  
  
Yet, Morgan had every intention of riding this out. To see if both illnesses would go away. She desired to see every significant moment of Marcellus’s life – his graduation, his first basketball championship, first love and marriage, and first child – even if she had to be ill for the rest of her life.  
  
“All right then, ma’am, I’ll do what I can to keep you going.”  
  
“That’s all I ask.”  
  
They arrived ten minutes after dismissal. The high school brimmed with teenagers hightailing it off campus. Morgan wondered how his first day went. In this time where he didn’t have to be a gangster, Marcellus could finally relax. She hoped living a normal, simple life would do some good for his somber demeanor. The doctor unlocked the doors when he saw Marcellus head over. He went inside, sat in the backseat, greeted them, and hooked the seatbelt.  
  
“Something good happen?” Morgan inquired, looking at him via the rearview mirror.    
  
“It’s just school,” he replied with a yawn, “Can’t make any friends on the first day.”  
  
As the car pulled out of the parking lot, someone picking a child spotted Morgan and Marcellus in the car. Removing a cellphone, the adult spoke into it, “Morgan and Marcellus are riding in a dark blue Honda Accord. I can’t tail them because I have my kid with me.”  
  
All of them deciding to eat when they got back home, the mother and son were on their way back to Chicago Gang territory. His job solely to get them home safe and sound, the doctor focused on the road, watching the cars all around them. After a while, he took note of a particular vehicle he saw pull on the street earlier. Brow furrowing, he asked, “Master Morgan, Mr. Ardsen, you see these guys tailing us?”  
  
Indeed, a black Chevrolet followed behind them and had been for several blocks. Marcellus and Morgan glanced at the rearview and side-view mirrors, making no overt gestures to let the pursuers know they were on to them. Marcellus gulped nervously and crossed his fingers. _“Please don’t be an unmarked car. Please don’t be an unmarked car.”_  
  
“Take an alternate route but stay on course,” Morgan ordered. She wanted to see if these guys truly were shadowing them. The doctor took the next turn up ahead and, sure enough, the Chevy turned as well, eventually being joined by a red Toyota Camry. Frowning, Morgan indiscreetly removed her sidearm and loaded it with bullets. “Those aren’t police. Their lights would’ve been flashing by now.”  
  
The three assumed the worst: OGs were after them.  
  
“I wonder,” Marcellus mused, keeping himself calm, “Are they stupid enough to follow us all the way there?”  
  
A third and final car, a white Chrysler 300, suddenly raced in front of them, the other drivers it cut through honking their horns. Gritting his teeth, the doctor turned the wheel to get in the opposite lane, trying to maintain the freedom to move. “That’s a no.”  
  
Morgan pressed a button to roll down her window. “Get them parallel to my side. Marcellus, you watch those guys behind us.” Ill she may be, she was still matriarch of the Chicago Gang and the de Niro family. Getting everybody out of this situation alive was just another day on the job for her. The doctor nodded and flung the car to other lane and accelerated. As soon as they were side-by-side with the Chrysler 300, Morgan fired a single shot into the driver’s seat, shattering the window.  
  
The doctor sped up some more, leaving the Chrysler behind as it swerved off the road and out of everyone’s way. “All right, ma’am, what should I do next?”  
  
Pulling up the window again, Morgan’s mind went over the pros and cons. Staying out in the open meant the Other Side Gang were limited in their approach options, but the police were likelier to get involved if they already weren’t on the way. She also had no desire to hurt civilians. On the other hand, taking the tangential routes gave the Other Side Gang the unencumbered ability to attack from all sides, but the doctor then could break all speed laws.  
  
“Get off on the next exit,” she ordered, deciding to take a gamble, “You know the back way to get home.”  
  
“Yes, my lady.”  
  
Morgan looked her shoulder at her surprisingly stoic son. “Marcellus, if this gets too intense, just close your eyes, cover your ears, and duck.”  
  
The Demon Bow nodded soundlessly. Glancing at the mirror, the Chevy and the Toyota continued to give chase. Despite his worst fears becoming reality, Marcellus knew he asked for this going back in the first place, so there was no use complaining about it. Instead, he was going to help everyone survive. Once they reached a suburban area, Marcellus covered his eyes and activated Wavelength Sonar to scout out the area. Up ahead, he detected a cluster of souls stationed at a crossway, presumably OGs lying in wait.  
  
“Trouble up ahead. The 4-way,” Marcellus informed, “Coming from the left. Get ready.”  
  
Pulling out his own gun, the doctor rolled down the driver-side window. Timing himself correctly, he ran the stop sign and was greeted with the car Marcellus talked about. He pulled the trigger, shot the driver through the windshield, and then did a donut in the middle of the road to avoid collision.  
  
For the split second she faced the trailing vehicles, Morgan fired her sidearm twice, taking out a tire each. “Punch it!” The doctor floored the pedal, widening the gap between their chasers more and more by the second. The chase was effectively over. “That’s that.” Morgan turned the safety on and rolled up the window. Once she did, she was struck with another coughing fit.  
  
“It’s time for your medicine, master,” the doctor announced. At this point, they entered the metropolitan city limits. “Hold on until we reach home. I’ll give you your medicine then.”  
  
Eventually, the three finally made it to Chicago Gang territory, the driver parking the car near the port. After providing Morgan with her medicine, the doctor pulled out his phone to call Don Portis and let him know of the attack. Before the dial tone came, two gunshots sounded. One blasted the cell phone out of his hand and the other hit him dead between his eyes. Still in the car, Marcellus and Morgan shot their attention to the doctor’s body falling over the railing and into the port.  
  
“Oh, what cruel irony. You’re supposed to let your guards down at home, but here I am.”  
  
With held breaths, the mother and son looked to see Soriano standing there with his shotgun, Kujira flanking his left armed with a simple handgun. Soriano took a long dreg of his cigarette before blowing out the smoke, keeping his eyes on Morgan. “Why hello there, Pumpkin.”  
  
Marcellus grimaced. “Oh please don’t tell me you two—”  
  
“He’s referring to my hair color,” Morgan answered, her face turning green and contorting with disgust, not from her illness.  
  
The Demon Bow sighed in relief, relaxing against the backseat. “Oh thank God.”  
  
Soriano flicked away his cigarette as his gaze drifted to the former Academy student. “It’s good to finally see you, Marcellus. You know they call you the Gang Prince around these parts, right?” The Other Side Gang boss shook his head. “Can’t believe they let you back. Only two kinds of people in this world, loyalists and traitors. If you ask me, going against the family is the worst kind of treason.”  
  
Morgan narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth. Thankful Soriano was in the mood to talk, this gave her the chance to think fast. Pulling out her phone and issuing a S.O.S. would take too much time in that either Kujira or Soriano could shoot right then and there. Since she was in the passenger seat, it was up to her to slide over and drive them away. She just needed to find at least one other Chicago Gang member, but the afternoon meant most of them were out. “Well, nobody asked you. And what do you know?”  
  
Soriano chuckled good-naturedly like he was having dinner with his closest friends and not his targets. “OK, you got me there. I got no family, and there’s no lineage within the Other Side Gang. It’s a merit-based thing—”  
  
Morgan threw herself in the driver’s seat while whipping out her sidearm, firing her final three rounds. Kujira in turn reacted by producing a shiv from her longcoat and deflecting first two with it, followed by tackling Soriano out of the way. Smirking, Morgan put the car in drive and floored the petal. The tires screeching like a dinosaur, the car raced off.  
  
“You won’t get far!” Kujira rolled over and grabbed her fallen handgun. Sitting up and taking aim, she shot out the two back tires right as the vehicle swerved around the corner. Inside, the steering wheel locked on Morgan as the car lost control. Instead of a complete turn, she ran right through the warehouse commercial door. Hearing the crash, Kujira spring-kicked back to her feet. “C’mon, Boss, let’s do this before the cavalry comes!”  
  
Inside the warehouse, Marcellus forced himself out of the car, hurried over to the driver’s side, and ushered out his sick mom. “Come on, Morgan, I know this looks bad but fight through it.”  
  
She coughed several times. “I-I…know!” She rested against the car, taking the time to empty her sidearm and reload it with fresh bullets. She hunched over, coughing some more. Marcellus took her arm and put it over his shoulder, helping her move as quickly as they could. Turning his Wavelength Sonar, Marcellus detected a soul directly behind the car. Before he knew it, the car was pushed toward them. Marcellus moved to protect Morgan with his own body, and the front bummer slammed into his lower back.  
  
“ _Marcellus_!” Morgan cried out when Marcellus screamed and crumpled to the floor, a hand on his lower body. Hearing the groan of metal, she saw Kujira walking along the top of the car, Soriano ambling around like he was taking a leisurely stroll. Her first instinct was to protect Marcellus, but Kujira suddenly dashed over, grabbed him, and held him at knifepoint meters away. Morgan gritted her teeth, glaring daggers at the woman. “You monster.”  
  
Wincing, the Lucrenian averted her eyes. “Sorry, Master Morgan. It’s nothing personal, I’m just following orders.”  
  
“Eyes on me, Pumpkin.” Soriano punctuated his statement by cocking his shotgun. Morgan instinctively clenched her sidearm, facing the man and backing away as he approached her like a predator. “It’s a real shame it had to come to this. Rivals do make you stronger, but you and Portis now just get in the way.”  
  
Morgan used her peripheral vision to assess the situation. Her quick draw meant she could save Marcellus from Kujira, but she needed to address Soriano first and foremost. She decided to attack a sore point in Soriano’s history to buy some time. “You used to be a self-respecting, clean-cut officer of the law. An FBI agent, in fact.” His smugness disappeared, replaced with shock and then rage as he gripped his shotgun tighter. Morgan smirked behind her surgical mask. “You had money and prestige, and you threw it away. Mind telling me why?”  
  
Soriano lunged forward and struck Morgan across her face with the butt of the shotgun. The woman cried out, falling to the floor immediately. “ _They_ threw it away!” Soriano’s voice echoed throughout the hollow warehouse. “And you're asking the wrong questions, Pumpkin! I may be a gambling man, but even I know that there are some bets you just don't take. There are two kinds of people in this world. Those who think they can accomplish the impossible, and those who aren’t smart enough to know some things are unavoidable. My supervisor sent me to break an intentional smuggling ring commanded by the most powerful of criminals _by myself_. I mean, who does that? Not me. I’m a survivor.”  
  
“You’re a coward.” Morgan took off her surgical mask, spitting out blood. Soriano gritted his teeth and responded with a backhand slap. Tougher than that, the matriarch chuckled mockingly, looked at him with a smirk, and went on, “You didn’t even try to accomplish your mission. That’s why they stripped you of your rank, ‘Officer Mouradian.’ You went beneath and below the call of duty.”  
  
Soriano scoffed. “Ah, to Hell with the call of the duty. I make more paper than entire police departments combined now. I joined the Other Side Gang to spite the law, to show them they made the wrong decision. I started at the bottom, worked my way up, and became the boss. Then I used my money to turn us into one of the most powerful gangs in the world! We were complete pushovers, Pumpkin, now look at us! That ring they tasked me to break apart?” He held up a hand, imagining the world in the palm on his hand, and then balled it into a fist. “I own it now.”  
  
From her prone position on the ground, Morgan finally saw something of use – a gas line. She pretended to crawl from him pathetically, to stoke his ego, but she was lining herself up for the best possible shot. Morgan grabbed a nearby faucet to help herself up, accidentally turning it on. “You wonder why I married Portis and joined the Chicago Underground Association. You have no character. At your core, you’re a bloodsucking scumbag.”  
  
“Morgan de Niro, you of all people should know this is _the real world_. The real world _doesn’t care about character_! Just your worth and what you can contribute! I’ll be that scumbag if it means I get to live a life of luxury, power, and safety.” Soriano aimed his shotgun at the matriarch, ready to begin the end of the Chicago Gang, a victorious smile gracing his face. “I’m never gonna stop doing what I do best: lie, steal, cheat, and SURVIVE!”  
  
A gunshot rang, and it didn’t come from Soriano’s shotgun.  
  
“ _My eye_!” Kujira shrieked, staggering backwards with one hand on her face. Her glasses, one lenses broken, dropped to the ground, as blood spilled down her arm and onto the ground. “Ohmygod! Ohmygod! Ohmygod! Ohmygod! Ohmygod! Ohmygod! Ohmygod! Ohmygod! Ohmygod! Ohmygod! _My eeeeeeeeeeeeeye_!  
  
Marcellus used the opportunity to crawl and then hobble away, only stopping when he reached the car so he could rest against the hood. Eyes widening, Soriano concernedly turned to his now-injured and screaming underling. “Kujira!” As soon as he did, his breath was stolen from him as two bullets lodged themselves in his gut. Choking, he slowly looked down to see Morgan had shot him twice in the gut. “Y-You…” He placed a hand on the wounds, falling to the floor but still keeping his grip on his shotgun.  
  
“Marcellus, let’s go!” Morgan rose to her feet and started running toward him.  
  
Another gunshot rang.  
  
She came to complete stop, Marcellus’s eyes widening and mouth going agape in terror. Morgan gagged as the bullet pierced her back, almost coming through her torso. Blood rapidly staining her blouse, she gave a series of hiccupping gasps, struggling for breath. There stood Soriano aided by Kujira. Despite similar wounds, he had the strength to make the shot, a man fueled by something Marcellus’s righteous mind was unable to comprehend. Before she collapsed, Morgan looked at her son dead in his eyes and ordered through the blood bubbling in her mouth, “R-R…un…”  
  
Marcellus closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, the storm of emotions inside his head weighing down his feet. Summoning strength, he hurried out of the warehouse despite the lingering pain in his back. Morgan turned over, seeing Kujira and Soriano hobble forward. Whether they were trying to give chase or get closer to finish her off, she didn’t know. Today, she broke many promises. She wasn’t careful, she wasn’t coming home, she wasn’t going to see Marcellus’s best moments in life, and she left her husband alone. She did keep one, however, she thought as she took aim at the gas line.    
  
She was going to die on her own terms.  
  
The warehouse exploded, lighting up the district. The force knocked the fleeing Marcellus down. Looking back was pointless; he knew Morgan just sacrificed herself to make sure he lived. Covering his eyes, the teen sniffled and let the tears of anger and frustration fall. “Mother…”  
  
Putting a shaky hand in his jacket, he took out his cellphone. Now he was faced with yet another critical decision. Call Portis, the man who desperately tried to reclaim his love and approval, and incite the greatest turf war in gang history. He had all the resources and knowledge on how to snuff out Soriano and the Other Side Gang, to make him pay for what he did to Morgan. Or, call Noel, the guy Marcellus knew he could trust in any situation, and involve everyone in a matter none of them were prepared for. Yet, that meant the support of Lord Death and Death Weapon Meister Academy was behind them.  
  
He called Noel.  
  
“I need your help.”


	44. Three-Way Deadlock: Battle in Chicago

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Chicago Gang and the Other Side Gang prepare to settle their differences once and for all, Walena and Cancer enact their plans, and Academy moves in to strike. The battle has began.

**Three-Way Deadlock: Battle in Chicago**  
  
An anguished scream echoed throughout the Chicago Gang’s territory and into the skies above, the whole Earth seeming to shake. Inside the villa, all gangsters inched away in fear as an enraged Portis vented his anger. He knocked over expensive vases, the ceramic shattering on the floor, he threw furniture across the room, breaking a window in the process. When it looked like he calmed down, standing there breathing heavily, he suddenly released another bellow and slammed his hands on the wall behind him. The foyer shook, Portis leaving indents of his fists into the surface.   
  
The don fell to his knees, the deathly silence breaking when the gangsters heard him crying over the untimely death of his wife.   
  
Marcellus felt a little nudge, looking to the side to see a gang member nodding towards Portis’s direction, the others watching him expectantly. Nodding back, the Demon Bow carefully approached his emotional father and placed a hand on his back. Regaining his composure and standing up, Portis threw an arm around his son, remembering he was the one there, not him. “I am so sorry you were put through that, Marcellus.”  
  
“It’s ok,” Marcellus replied in a low voice, “None of us predicted that to happen.”  
  
Portis gnashed his teeth together, breaking the hug and heading to the middle of the foyer to face the gangsters present. “That’s it. No more. The only way we can get the Other Side Gang off our backs is if we snuff them out ourselves.” And it’d be the only way for Marcellus have peace in his life. The gangsters nodded solemnly. Normally, they would have celebrated at the opportunity of a final, full-on attack on their mortal enemies. In this case, it was a sad day. Both the de Niro family and the Chicago Underground Association lost their matriarch. There was nothing exciting about that.   
  
“W-Well,” Marcellus piped in from the back, drawing everyone’s attention, “We don’t necessarily have to do it all by ourselves. We have the police department to do most of the dirty work.”  
  
Elimination by proxy, Portis thought. The same reasoning behind their meeting with Death. “Yes, you’re absolutely right.” Once the emotional haze faded from his mind, a myriad of schemes flooded into Portis’s brain, but one idea stood out. _“Then there is what the Reaper said. Soriano Mouradian, you picked the worst time to die on your underlings.”_  
  
Portis took out his cellphone from inside his vest and dialed a number. Placing it near his ear, he waited in hopes a certain someone would pick up. He smiled sinisterly when he did. “Ah, yes, Lord Death. I wanted to hear of your progress… Oh, is that so? Would you like to hear something to facilitate that squadron’s efforts? The stronghold of the Other Side Gang is stationed in close proximity to the O’Hare International Airport. Don't be fooled and search the area carefully. You'll know when you see it. You have a nice day now.”  
  
He hung up the phone without hearing Lord Death’s response. He looked at the gangsters, a fire brewing in his eyes like none other. “Ladies and gentlemen, move out. This is going to be _long_ night for the OGs.”  
  
...  
  
Back at the suburban intersection, the Other Side gangsters assessed the damages to their cars and to themselves. They only had to bury one guy. Considering Morgan’s legendary quick draw and deadly aim, they were lucky just to get that. They decided to lay low until they heard progress from someone else, having tossed their colors into the trunks so nobody could tell they belonged to a gang.   
  
One of the two living drivers paced back and forth, getting antsier by the second. “Yo, I ain't heard from Boss at all.”  
  
A female gangster finished replacing the second car’s flat tire, looking at him. “You think everything is alright? I hope nothing bad happened to him or Kujira.”  
  
“Yeah, that’s a gutsy move those two did, taking the battle straight to their home base,” another gangster added in from the seat of a car, “That’s like trying to break into Fort Knox: expect Hell to pay right then and there.”  
  
The driver stopped pacing and headed to a car. “We need to go check it out.  Let's go, everyone.”   
  
That's when tires screeched like banshee around the corner and automatic fire rumbled like thunder. Not one single bullet missed flesh. After a while, fellow Other Side gangsters found them along with blue graffiti painted on their vehicles, marked by a bloody scarab beetle.  
  
It was a declaration of war.  
  
Within minutes, the streets of Chicago were a battleground between the Chicago Gang and the Other Side Gang. For the former, nothing else mattered. If they did not leave the streets without felling at least one OG, they failed. ‘For Master Morgan!’ was the Chicago Gang’s battle cry as they shot down their rivals with guns or ran them over with their cars.   
  
But as quickly as the attack started, the police mobilized. Their sirens were a ray of hope for innocent bystanders and a death knell for the gangsters. The police used every tactic in the book – tear gas, spike strips, etc. – to stop the gang violence. Enough was enough for them; it was time to rid this city of them.  
  
And that’s what the Chicago Gang was banking on. In accordance to Portis’s plan, all Chicago Gang members fled the scene the instant police arrived, leaving the Other Side Gang to their fates. Not everyone was lucky to escape, but it resulted in less losses compared to the Other Side Gang.   
  
Bloodied and bruised, three Other Side Gang members took refuge in a corner of a dead end, barely escaping attackers and law enforcement. “Goddamn CGs suddenly going on a tirade,” one of them said with a frustrated growl, “Has everyone heard from Soriano yet?”   
  
“Nobody has.” the second one replied as she reloaded her gun.  
  
The third gangster, the least injured, craned his neck to see if anyone could see them at the alleyway’s entrance. “If only Myke stuck around longer.”  
  
The female gangster punched him in the side for suggesting such a thing. “No way! The only reason he’s even around is because Kujira’s his homeboy!” She remembered the first time she saw him. His eyes, his presence, his everything was an oppressive force of nature. How Soriano accepted a maniac like him into the gang was beyond her. “Even Boss doesn’t want that crazy man helping us!”   
  
The first gangster groaned exasperatedly and forced himself to stand despite his injuries. “Enough of this! We need to go back home right now!”  
  
The third gangster nodded and took out a two-way to mass-message remaining comrades. “Everyone, retreat! Get off the streets right now! Throw off your colors, hide your tattoos, and let’s regroup at home! This is a loss we’ll have to take!”  
  
...   
  
The message was heard on one of the confiscated two-ways.  
  
In an office at Chicago PD headquarters, Joe, Tezca, and a police lieutenant listened to radio talk. When transmission was cut off, the lieutenant addressed the two DWMA members, “They’re going to back to their stronghold. Time to catch them off guard.”  
  
Letting his police handle stragglers in the streets, the lieutenant called pagers, mobile phones, and radio transceivers for the right people for this particular job. Tezca ran out, laughing boisterously at the prospect of potentially catching Cancer. Within seconds, everything was set. Outside, the S.W.A.T. team awaited the arrival of the DWMA personnel. They didn’t have to wait long; Tezca burst out of the headquarters with Il Sung, Meredith, Marvin, and Klemens in tow. Like everybody else, their armor was beneath their normal clothes. “Locked and loaded!” the Demon Mirror howled, his partner Enrique hanging off his back.  
  
SWAT personnel boarded their armored vehicles, one in particular pulling up to escort the Academy soldiers. With a sigh, Il Sung begrudgingly entered it. “This is ludicrous. My power should be used hunting the Witches and Anria supposedly here, not helping law enforcement catch common street thugs.”  
  
Meredith sat across from him, crossing her legs. “Orders are orders. You’d be wise not to question them.”  
  
Il Sung glared at the Chain Meister. “Unlike you, I have a sense of independence.” Even when she looked up to return the glare, the Ssangsudo Meister continue to speak his mind, “Don’t consider yourself high and mighty just because you happen an Olmett, Meredith. I am no one’s yes-man.”   
  
Marvin and Andy ‘ooh’d and laughed at Il Sung’s comments. Klemens frowned. “Well, that was rude.”  
  
“Do not defend me,” Meredith replied evenly, “I only heed those who take action.”  
  
Il Sung ‘hmph’-ed. “Then you’d be wise to watch me carefully.”  
  
They moved out, hoping to put an end to the Other Side Gang and to catch the witch Cancer allied with them and behind the Anria.  
  


* * *

  
  
The early evening air was thick, and it wasn’t because of the lingering smoke from that warehouse that had to be extinguished. Portis learned of Morgan’s death and how the Other Side Gang was involved. The Chicago Gang was conducting a systematic final assault on their rivals, and Walena wasn’t sure if they were going to survive.   
  
At this point in time, Walena still neglected to tell Cancer of the results of the deal. Partly because Henderson alluded to her being in a ‘Do Not Disturb’ state of mind, and partly because of her own whims. She wanted to believe Project Omega could do what she desired, but she was so close to it already. It was a risk she wasn’t prepared to take. _“I guess it’s time I take matters into my own hands.”_  
  
She summoned a two kinds of African voodoo masks to each of her hands. One was the regular variant meant for the common gangsters. The other was colored gray, white, and dark blue like that of an Anria reserved strictly for Portis – a mask she received help making from Henderson. With a sigh, she made them disappear and then turned to leave her room, stopping when she noticed something amiss. “Wait, I thought that door was closed.”  
  
“It was.”  
  
The tip of a blade pressed against Walena’s back as she gasped sharply. She slowly looked over her shoulder to see Left holding out a cane sword, a shikomizue if she recalled correctly, and twirling the sheath with his free hand idly. She started to sweat. “U-Um. Mr. Left? Mr. Right? W-What’s this about?”  
  
“You should be more discreet about whom you cavort with, Miyuki.” Right’s voice reverberated from inside his weapon form. “Am I correct, Left?”  
  
“Indeed, Right,” Left replied, his voice cold as ice, making Walena shiver involuntarily, “It’s little surprise we saw you cavorting with Kujira of the Other Side Gang earlier today.” He heard the witch in disguise gasp, and her body shook out of fear of the potential consequences. He pressed the blade in farther, breaking skin and wresting a hiss of pain from her. “Your stunned reaction is very reassuring.”  
  
“To make your day worse, we already notified Don Portis, and he gave us permission to kill you on the grounds of treason,” Right coldly informed, “No last words unfortunately.”  
  
"Womba batta wom wom ba ba wom!"  
  
Before Left impaled her, something flew out of nowhere and attached itself to his face like an iron grip. The meister’s scream were muffled by a voodoo mask. Left thrashed about, knocking objects in his frantic attempts to get the mask off.  
  
“Left!” Right reverted to a human form, but as soon as he did, another mask shot out from the shadows and gave him the same treatment. Walena turned and watched as her masks’ ghostly tendrils sunk into their skulls. Once the magic probed their mind, their useless thrashing stopped. “Arise, my children.” She smiled as Left and Right obediently stood right up. Then, she heard commotion down the hall, fellow gangsters coming to check on them. She sashayed behind the twin henchmen, leaving nothing between them and the door. “Oh, booooys~ Could you do me a favor and give everyone my little present? Also, tell everyone to return home and stop worrying about those nasty OGs. Please and thank you~”  
  
Left and Right dashed out at the speed of bullets, Walena humming in content as she heard the sounds of males and females screaming. Soon, the whole Chicago Gang would be under her spell. She summoned her Anria voodoo mask and stared directly into the empty eyeholes.  
  
“Big Daddy P, Marcey, you’re next.”  
  


* * *

  
  
Feeling better than before, Tsuji sat up in his bed playing his PSP. When he got yet another ‘Game Over,’ he snarled and threw himself back onto the cushions. “This freakin’ game, man, I hate it sometimes!” Deciding to save his progress and try again later, he set his PSP on the nightstand next his Marcellus’s lollipop and a small vial of Kim’s healing potion, a new edition. Right when he figured some more rest would do some good, he witnessed his father enter the Dispensary. He carried a bag and a trench coat in his arms. “What’s that stuff, Old Man?”  
  
“Marcellus called. Looks like he wised up,” Noel answered. He went over to coatrack and hung up trench coat, setting the bag on the floor next to it. “Now, I’m not trying to say anything, but what you do next is your decision.”  
  
The message was unsubtle to Tsuji: come with me if you feel like it. Unfortunately, Tsuji still had no clue how to master the Enchanted Eyes or at least keep the curse at bay. Soul-searching was tough and tiring. Before Noel left the room, Tsuji asked, “Hey. How’d Mom react to your Enchanted Eye?”  
  
“She took it in stride,” Noel replied without turning around, “She didn’t like drama.”   
  
“In stride, huh?” Tsuji cupped his thought contemplatively, but his thoughts drifted to the memories of his deceased mother. “Ah, Mom was too damn cool to die so young. She didn’t let anything stop her. We coulda fought together, raced, even go on missions.”  
  
Noel shook his head, sharing the sentiments. “A shame, indeed.”   
  
_Nothing should stop you_  
  
Noel wordlessly left his son be, going over everything he needed to do before he disembarked. Tsuji fell back on his bed, thinking about the brief conversation. Even though he continued to push on, this whole thing was rooted in his innermost fear wrought by the shadow Kishin Eggs. He cultivated a mental block by pushing his fear to the back of his mind instead of dealing with it head-on. Something had stopped him from reaching his full potential. Just then, he heard hard knocks on the day and saw Shannon, of all visitors, walking in.  
  
“Hey there,” the Demon Baton greeted in a tone that suggested she was annoyed to be there.  
  
Of course, she _wouldn’t_ be here if that were case. Recognizing that, a wide, teasing grin plastered itself on Tsuji’s face. “D’awww. You really do like me!”  
  
Shannon rolled her eyes and turned back around, her dark blond sharply following the motion. “I'm leaving.”  
  
Seeing she really was on her way out, Tsuji’s smirk vanished as he reached out to her. “W-Wait! Come back!” Shannon stopped and flashed her own wild grin over her shoulder. A giggle at the doorway, likely Audrey, told him he had been played. Sighing in defeat, Tsuji then asked, “Question. Can you tell me what happened with you and your Enchanted Eyes? I'm at a big-ass roadblock, and I need all the help I can get gettin’ past it.”  
  
Shannon’s grin faded. Without a word, she walked over to his bedside, rested her back against the wall, and slid down into a sitting position. “I let a Kishin Egg follow me back home, it went on a rampage, hurt a lot of people, and the blame fell on me,” she explained without emotion. Tsuji cringed at the implications. Not only did she make a rookie mistake, even though he shouldn’t be talking, others were endangered because of her. And did she even have a partner with her?   
  
Shannon looked off to the side, drumming her fingers on her propped knees. “It's our job to protect one another from those things and I couldn't do that. My shame and regret was preyed on, and next thing I knew, Professor Matilda, Sid, and Mr. Ricardsen are restraining me. I think I heard myself growling like an animal. I’m still paying for the damages now. I was becoming the very thing I hated and let others hurt, a monster.” As she continued to talk, Shannon avoided eye contact and kept her tone neutral. Tsuji had to hand it to her, she could keep a leash on her emotions. “It just goes to show you, don't lose sight of yourself. “  
  
 _Lose sight of yourself_  
  
A voice, far different from the malevolent one associated with the curse, echoed the words in the deep recesses of Tsuji’s mind. It was pleasant, soothing even. Right then and there, he found himself in a moment of clarity – he had lost himself; case in point, the mood swings he underwent. Spotting a flash of pale red at the door, Tsuji called out, “What's your story, Ai? I know you got one cuz you got a phobia.”  
  
“Sorry.” The door creaked open and the Baton Meister let herself in. She stayed by the door. “Please, call me Audrey.” Drumming her fingernails against the door, Audrey went over what she wanted to say. If this was about the Enchanted Eyes, it was her obligation as Tsuji’s senior to help him. “To answer your question, it’s this… Once upon a time, there was this boy. A young boy who lost his life because of me. He lived in an urban village like me back in China. As you can guess, we became friends, being children stuck in slums and all. But then…”  
  
She paused, grounding her teeth together. Tsuji raised an eyebrow at the reaction, wanting her to continue, “Then…?”  
  
Audrey snapped her head up and held up hands apologetically. “I-I’m sorry!” She cleared her throat to regain composure, thinking Tsuji didn’t want to see her get angry. “But anyway, we went out on one of our daily outings. You can guess a social problem in slums is lowborn filth, most of whom believe in the famous Darwinian philosophy.” All she saw were flashes of white, the dancing of steel, and the red of the blood. Her hands shook, and she ran her tongue across her suddenly dry lips. With a gulp, she forced out, “… Those people… so fast, relentless, and numerous…I tried, but in the end…They… He…”  
  
Tsuji put two and two together. “Damn...” There was nothing worse than failing to protect someone.   
  
The Baton Meister blinked away unshed tears. “From that day on, the presence of a male has filled me with fear. A man close to me died because of me. That can’t happen again.” She looked at her fellow, bedridden meister. “Please understand.”  
  
“No, no, no, it’s totally cool!” Tsuji was glad to finally have some context, now kicking himself for his behavior in their first meeting. Just then, a horrifying thought came to mind, one that made his heart skip a beat. “S-So, what if you get into it with a male Monster or Evil Human?”  
  
Audrey glanced at Shannon nodding off as they talked. “Funny you should mention that. That’s how Shannon and I met… One of the few Evil Humans skulking around Death City found me. Me, when I was weak and pitiful…” Her skin crawled, remembering the feeling of being watched that day. She constantly looked over her shoulder, only to see nothing, but she knew better. The moment her eyes met the darkness of an alley, her stalkers within looked back. They jumped out of the darkness to attack, but someone beat them to the punch – or rather slice. “If it weren’t for Shannon, I’d be dead. That’s why I’m in Class Half Moon. Professor Matilda helped me curb my fear of your kind in the heat of battle and life-threatening situations.”  
  
The Baton Meister sighed and looked at Tsuji dead in his eyes. “I guess what I’m trying to preach is self-preservation. Be safe, be smart, be ready.”  
  
 _Curb your fear_  
  
That’s what it all boiled down to, being scared. He recalled his past conversation with Maka, to let fear empower you and not let it take over. While gaining strength from fear was too farfetched for him, he certainly failed that second aspect. If it weren’t for his fear, he wouldn’t have gotten shot, nearly lost his mind, or become a crazy monster.   
  
His eyes widened slightly in realization. _“That’s it!”_ It all came to him. The lesson he needed to understand to finally master the Enchanted Eyes – face his fears, and there would be nothing for the curse to take advantage of.   
  
“We’re leaving for real this time,” Shannon declared, hopping to her feet and heading for the door. “Try not to lose your mind just sitting there.”  
  
Tsuji simply smiled. “Oh, I don’t think that’ll be a problem anymore.”  
  


* * *

  
  
Portis sat in his chair, anxiously waiting for a status report on the struggle with the Other Side Gang. Without either Soriano or Kujira, they should be directionless and easy to pick off. So after a whole ten minutes of sudden silence, Portis could no longer remain idle. Rising from his seat, he pressed a button, “Left, Right, can you hear me?”  
  
Static.  
  
Portis’s brow furrowed. That was unlike them. Taking his hat off, he decided to contact someone else. “I want a status report now.”  
  
“Don Portis?” A gang member answered with a hint of confusion. “A status report? Left and Right said you issued an order to pull back. The police actually put a pretty big dent in both us and the OGs, so I understood your reasoning.”  
  
Portis frowned and glanced to a stone-faced Marcellus. The two of them instantly knew something was up. “I never gave such an order.”  
  
“You didn’t?”   
  
“Not at all.” Portis crossed his arms, slowly walking from behind his desk. “But, if you say continued activity was detrimental, then go on and retreat. Portis out.” He reached over and ended the call, turning to his son. “We need to see Left and Right.”  
  
Marcellus nodded and opened the door. He was greeted with the familiar hallway, but his heart raced and his inner voice cried out to him. Living on the opposite side of the law brew a sensitivity towards the amiss. Some call it paranoia, others call it an instinct. Either way, the atmosphere wasn’t normal right now. Marcellus and Portis exited the office, their destination being the first floor of the villa. Their footsteps on the wood creaked more profusely, and a dead silence permeated the air. By the time they reached the first floor, they stopped at the top of the stairs.  
  
“This is disconcerting,” Marcellus pointed out, looking around and noticing nobody was hanging around in the central hub of the territory. Especially strange considering the gang was apparently ordered to withdraw, and even then, not nobody was deployed on the large-scale mission. “Why does this place look so abandoned?”  
  
Portis was high alert. With each step down, his eyes checked every spot in the foyer for something out of the ordinary. “That is a great question, son.”  
  
At the sounds of foreign footsteps, Marcellus and Portis whipped around to see a fellow Chicago Gang member. On his face was an African voodoo mask, carrying a similar one in hand. He lunged at Marcellus, but Portis delivered a hard jab right in his head, sending the possessed gangster over the handrail and into the wall. From the shadows, more of them with these masks on crawled out. “Let’s go!” Portis grabbed his son’s hand and raced down the steps. Just then, the front door swung open. The Ardsen males came to a complete stop, watching in shock as Miyuki sashayed in with more of her slaves. “Miyuki?!” Portis gritted his teeth and growled. “First you fraternize with the enemy, and now this? Explain yourself!”  
  
The wombat witch smirked and flipped her hair. “Sorry, Portis. A girl’s got her own hopes and dreams, and I need a little help getting them, namely you guys. You understand, right?”  
  
“No,” Marcellus replied with a bite, “We don’t.”   
  
As soon as he said that, some of the gangsters grabbed him from behind. “ _Hands off_!” Portis roared like a man possessed, immediately lunging at his former subordinates and knocking them away from Marcellus. The others came like a tidal wave, but Portis’s only concern was keeping Marcellus safe. The don struck anyone in sight with punch, elbow, foot, knee, and even a headbutt. When one gangster jumped on his back, Portis ripped him off and threw him hard into a few others. When it became increasingly clear to him the numbers weren’t dwindling, he shouted, “Marcellus, get out of here now!”  
  
Marcellus ducked behind Portis for cover to evade a female gangster. “But what about—”  
  
A gangster struck Portis in his mouth with a steel-toed boot. He spat out blood and a tooth, retaliating with hard punch to the gut. “Forget me! Save yourself!”  
  
Marcellus sucked in air, reliving the sting of Morgan’s painful sacrifice from before. But he knew staying put was a stupid idea. Turning around, he locked his eyes with Miyuki, who stood there with a sickeningly sweet smile, hands behind her back. “Aw, come on, Marcey. We both know you can’t get out of here. You’re a lover, not a fighter. I promise if you submit I’ll make it worth your while.” She batted her eyelashes, giggling when he gagged sarcastically. “Besides, life’s been pretty hard on you. Don’t you want to escape reality and take a break?”  
  
Marcellus narrowed his eyes, challenging her. “Yeah, you’re right. I’m not a fighter. I’m a survivor.” He broke out into a dead sprint, heading straight toward her and the masked gangster with her. “And I’m _done_ running!” With a casual flick of her wrist, she sent out her minions. Marcellus never dropped his speed; instead, he quickly sidestepped to fake out each and every one of them. By the time Miyuki realized it, Marcellus got by them and her and headed out the door. _“I am never complaining about cut and suicides in basketball again!”_  
  
Letting out a frustrated growl, Miyuki rushed out the door, holding it open, and screamed, “You’re running now!”  
  
“Don’t worry!” Marcellus yelled over his shoulder, still running for his life. “I’ll be back soon!”  
  
Before Miyuki went back in the villa, his heart wrenched at the sight of Portis, a pillar of strength and authority, finally falling.  
  


* * *

  
  
Noel was a man on a mission right now. In the lower levels of the Academy, Noel unlocked a door to get into the school armory and turned the lights on. There, he was greeted with equipment Sid, Mira, and their squads used when they went on covert tasks. Taking off his blazer, pants, and shoes, Noel geared himself with a bulletproof vest, forearm guards, shin guards, and armored knee and elbow pads. Once that was done, he put his regular clothes on over them. “Now none of them can tell if a bullet will kill me or not,” he said, taking a forehead protector.   
  
“Well, hello there, Noel.”  
  
Noel saw both Stein and Spirit standing at the doorway. The two of them had serious expressions. Noel wondered if they had been tailing him all along; neither of them were surprised to see him here. “Hello. Can I help you two?” He replied in a casual tone. He took out his keys, preparing to close up the room, to show them he wasn’t concerned about their presence.  
  
“We received a call from Tezca,” Spirit told him, leaning against the door frame, “Joe said, for the briefest of moments, his Soul Perception picked up on three different Witch Souls within the city limits. Right after that, law enforcement mobilized because of a sudden increase in gang violence. You can guess who’s involved.”  
  
Stein lit a cigarette and took a short dreg of it, blowing out a skull-shaped wisp of smoke. “Tezca and his group are searching for the Other Side Gang’s home base. Special ops intend to apprehend the head honchos.”  
  
“Good for them,” Noel replied evenly. Although that was good news, these two were wasting his time, “I have my own problems to deal with.”  
  
Stein casually smoked his cigarette, looking at everywhere but Noel. “Lord Death already gave me permission to mobilize Maka and the others. Don’t you think we should wait for them?”  
  
The Demon Shield couldn’t believe this. Spirit was acting like Stein, and Stein was acting like Spirit. Where were they getting at? It was getting on his nerves. He took a few, slow, and purposeful steps toward them, giving them a warning. “You can. I’m not.”  
  
“You’re going to back to get Marcellus, aren’t you?” Spirit finally asked.  
  
Noel’s visible eye narrowed, getting prepared to force his way through even the strongest Death Scythe and Meister to get to Chicago. “He called and asked me to. So that’s what I’m going to do. Are you two going to stop me?”  
  
Stein blew some more smoke, this time facing Noel as his glasses gleamed in the light. “Quite the contrary, we’d like to come with you.”  
  
Noel stood there like a statue, no physical reaction whatsoever. Spirit shook his head, wondering how such an unexpressive man was happily married to a rambunctious wife like Rosalind. “Somebody’s gotta watch your back.”  
  
“Thanks, but no thanks.”  
  
Spirit frowned. “Why not?”  
  
“I can handle this myself. This is personal after all.”  
  
“Damn it, Noel!” Spirit exploded, advancing forward and staring up to the taller man. This wasn’t the time for ‘personal’ matters. “There is something serious going on that city, and you want to go alone?! I’m sorry; we can’t allow that. We work for the same cause and everything! Let us help!”  
  
Noel was perfectly content with the people he already had in his life. But standing here arguing with the emotional Spirit was going to waste time. With a sigh of exasperation, he threw his hands up in surrender. “Fine! Just hurry and suit up. I’ll wait outside.” He brushed past Spirit and Stein, pausing when he reached the hallway. “And get the aramid body armor, not the Kevlar. They’re more comfortable.”  
  


* * *

  
  
The glass shielding Cancer’s personal pool in the middle of her sanctuary opened up. The water shot up in a towering spiral, but before it reached the ceiling, it dispersed to reveal Cancer, carrying Neptune on her back and Soriano in her good arm. Once the water settled, the glass shield went back up and Cancer landed. The crab witch casted a brief gaze to Henderson standing by. “They require emergency medical attention.”  
  
In record time, Henderson got the stretchers ready and, with Cancer’s assistance, put them on. Kujira kept his eyes on her sister, a smile gracing her face. “So you _do_ care for us.”   
  
Cancer deliberately avoided eye contact, and Kujira suppressed a giggle. “If copious amounts of water were not running from that faucet,” Cancer contended tonelessly, “I would not have been able to rescue the two of you.”  
  
 _“I’ll take it.”_ Kujira thought as Henderson began wheeling them away to the medical ward. A ramp came out of the dais so Henderson could keep going unobstructed. Actions spoke louder than words. Saving both her and Soriano maybe meant she hadn’t completely sold her soul to Project Omega like Galene.   
  
Cancer watched as the ramp returned into the dais and the automatic doors closed. _“Meriza, the best doctor in the Witch Society, imparted all of her medical knowledge to Henderson. Combined with his expertise in body modification, Neptune and Soriano should be patched up without a problem.”_   
  
Cradling her scarfed arm, the crab witch turned and slowly walked towards the stasis tube containing Project Omega’s soul. Since Walena never told her of the meeting’s outcome, she had to do some scouting herself. That explosion would surely draw the Chicago Gang all to one spot. Now in front of the containment tube, she punched in some commands in the nearby keyboard. The glow faded, and the glass split apart. She reached out and took Project Omega’s soul in her hand. Unlike most souls where one could use the pads of their fingers, this soul needed to be carried by the palm because of its size.  
  
The tube closing up behind her, Cancer began walking back to the engineering lab. “The time is right, and the stage is set. It is my turn now. They wanted the Chicago Underground Association gone, so it shall be.” After entering the hallway, she summoned the elevator and went in, staring into the depths of the Project Omega’s soul. “Your second form is finished. Now it is time to bear witness to the fruits of our labor.”  
  
 _It’s about time I get some exercise around here._  
  


* * *

  
  
Tsuji stared bleakly at the IV attached to the wrist, the only thing keeping him bedridden. The IV was to be removed tomorrow morning. He took it out right then and there. No drugs or morphine were in it, just extra water to prevent dehydration, so he wasn’t missing much. Tsuji texted Noel to tell him to wait because he was coming to Chicago with him.    
  
He sat up slowly, testing the condition of his body. A little slow but manageable. Tsuji threw off the sheets and climbed out of bed, pausing to rest against it once his feet hit the floor. A slight grogginess persisted, so he snatched off the small vial of healing potion on his nightstand and downed it in one gulp.  
  
Tsuji stood there to let the effects kick in. Once the grogginess disappeared, he pushed him off the bed and stretched. “Much better.” Going over to the coatrack where Noel left his clothes, he put on his pants, shirt, and the trenchcoat appropriate for the Chicago weather. He then took the watermelon lollipop and pocketed it. “We’re coming, Marcellus. Stay strong.”  
  
That was when Tsuji heard the door to the Dispensary creak open. “Who’s there?!” He barked, whipping around to the door. He relaxed when he noticed the distinct olive color of Jackie’s hair. “Oh, it’s you.” He wasn’t sure why he was on the edge. It wasn’t like he was doing anything wrong.   
  
The first thing Jacqueline noted as she stepped in was Tsuji’s apparel. “Where are you going?” His tone had a bit of a warning in it – the answer better be something she approved of.   
  
_“Oh that’s why.”_ Tsuji sighed and chose to be straightforward like always. “Old Man offered me to come to Chicago. Marcellus called. He’s ready to come back, so I’m goin’ to go get him.”  
  
Jacqueline’s face brightened up with a smile. “So does that mean you figured the Enchanted Eyes out?”  
  
Tsuji averted his eyes, unsure of how she’d response to the answer. “More or less.”  
  
Just as expected, she frowned, becoming stern again. “More or less, huh?”  
  
“Nothing’s guaranteed, but I’m confident."  
  
As soon as he took a tentative step forward, Jacqueline rushed in front of the door and acted as a bastion, blocking exit from him. “You can’t go. Sure you’re confident you figured things out, but even you still aren’t sure. I don’t want happened on Friday to happen again! At least come at the same time as Maka and the others so we can go together! And don’t you dare tell me there isn’t time.”  
  
He dropped his head, eyes covered by shadows, as the two stood there in silence. The Demon Lantern braced herself for anything he had planned. “Jacqueline.” His voice was surprisingly soft and gentle. He stepped forward with a posture not indicative of person ready to use force. “Thank you.”  
  
He captured her in a heartfelt hug. Jackie’s whole face turned a bright crimson. She squirmed in his embrace, but eventually, her meager amount of resistance vanished. Tsuji then whispered in a throaty voice, “I dunno how you do it, tolerating people like me and Kim.”  
  
“I-I…” She sighed as he slightly broke away from her, her golden-brown eyes meeting his chartreuse. “I just believe in judging for who they are, not what—”  
  
All of sudden, Tsuji brought his knee up in one, swift motion to knock her out instantly. Tsuji caught Jackie before she collapsed and carried her to his hospital bed. “If I don’t go now, it might be too late. This is something me and Marcellus gotta take care of first. I’m sure you guys will be right behind me and Dad anyway.”  
  
After settling her in, Tsuji went out, giving her unconscious body an apologetic look before closing the door. “I’ll make it up to you.”   
  
That out of the way, the meister closed his eyes and took a deep breath, expelling all doubt and weakness. He reopened his eyes, strengthened by resolve, as he set out to catch up with his father. “This ends tonight.”  
  


* * *

  
  
Marcellus hid out in an abandoned apartment near the territory’s borderline, one of the very few around since the Chicago Gang hated wasting resources. Breathing heavily, sweat from running around and the musty temperature streaked his skin. He constantly checked his surroundings for any of Miyuki’s goons, his phone for any updates from Noel, and turned on his Wavelength Sonar to check what was outside. Nothing. Everything grew eerily silent to the point Marcellus feared his breaths would alert an enemy.   
  
Marcellus pulled out his phone for the umpteenth time in case Noel messaged him, but nothing showed. “Come on, come on, I’m dying over here.” The minute he felt a vibration in his hand, he answered the call. “Hello? Yeah, Noel, I’m fine. … Okay. Where are you guys? … Cool. You’re not far away. Here’s my location.”   
  
After providing directions and waiting for a little bit, Marcellus carefully looked out the window. Only when he saw flashing headlights did he sprint out. Putting the car in park, Noel, Stein, and Spirit exited the vehicle as Marcellus rushed over to them. “Oh my God, am I glad to see you guys.”  
  
Noel rolled his visible eye. “Yeah, I’m sure you—” He was cut off by Marcellus, out of nowhere, latching him onto him for a hug. “Ok, ok, that’s enough. Let me go.” The Demon Bow complied, smiling apologetically at the man. He never saw it; Noel was too busy glaring at a snickering Spirit and Stein.  
  
“So, Marcellus, what exactly is going on?” Stein asked, adjusting his glasses. “As careful as we were, I’d figure someone would’ve spotted us by. In fact, I almost anticipated a confrontation.”  
  
A chill ran down Marcellus’s spine, the events of today flashing through his mind all at once. Running his tongue across his suddenly dry lips, Marcellus then shallowed thickly, summoning the strength to give the older men some context. “Here’s the rundown.” He explained everything from the chase, to Morgan’s sacrifice, to the gang’s response, and to Miyuki’s true intentions. “—So that means rest of the gang will be here soon. Whatever course of action we got to take, we need to figure it out _now_.”  
  
Stein cupped his thought, staring off into the distance. “Hmm.” The scientist activated his Soul Perception, gaining a whole mental view of the souls present in the territory. At the central area, he detected a Witch Soul. “I found your little friend, Marcellus. She’s in the far center of this place.” Right as he finished his sentence, another Witch Soul appeared near the harbor. “Uh-oh. Trouble afoot. Another Witch Soul, and it’s much stronger.”  
  
Spirit narrowed his eyes. “Gee. I wonder who that could be.” His voice dripped with as much sarcasm as venom.  
  
“Cancer.” Noel growled through gritted teeth.  
  
“All right. Here’s the plan,” Stein spoke, gesturing randomly to the car, “Spirit, Noel, and I will take care of the Witch at the harbor. Marcellus, if you want to wait for Maka and the others to arrive, and they will soon, you can do that.”  
  
“But that’d defeat the purpose of me comin’ here,” Tsuji declared as he walked out of the vehicle and joined them.  
  
Marcellus’s eyes widened in shock as he gasped. Noel never mentioned him at all. “Ts-Tsuji?!” He took an apprehensive step back when his meister partner stopped directly in front of him. “L-Look, I know you’re probably mad and all—”  
  
“Oh, best believe I was.” Tsuji narrowed his eyes, forming a glare to get his point across. With a sigh, he softened his gaze. “But ya know, sittin’ in bed gave me a lot of time to think about things. Now I’m not so mad. In fact, I wanna say thanks for looking out for me. Here.” He took out the watermelon-flavored lollipop and handed it over.  
  
Marcellus stared at it with a frown and then sighed. “Dang. Wished it was raspberry. That’s my favorite. Oh, well.” He tore the wrapper off and put it in his mouth, a smile breaking out as his taste buds were reintroduced to the nice, sugary flavor.  
  
“I hate to break this up,” Noel spoke, standing at the driver’s seat with the door ajar, catching everyone’s attention, “But this can wait. We have things to do. Stein, Spirit, let’s go. Tsuji, Marcellus, you two do whatever. Just don’t get yourselves killed.”  
  
“Yes, sir.” The adults loaded into the car, Noel put it in reverse, and he drove them to where they needed to go.  
  
Figuring he’s had such good luck already, Marcellus ushered Tsuji back into the abandoned apartment so they could talk without being in the open. Marcellus rehearsed in his mind what he wanted to say, but as soon as he turned to him, Tsuji held up a hand to stop him, “You did what you had to do. Me and you are a lot more alike than I thought. We thought taking the easy paths were the best one, but it got us into some trouble in the long run. We ran away when we shouldn’t have.”  
  
Marcellus shook his head, leaning against a column with his hands in his pockets. “Now, I wouldn’t say that’s how things always are. The hard way is sometimes the right way, and other times it’s just that, the hard way. Life is full of those kinds of decisions. You just have to—”  
  
“Be smart, be ready, and be safe,” Tsuji interrupted, echoing Audrey’s words from earlier today, “Am I right or not?”   
  
Marcellus quirked a brow, surprised, but he smiled again. “Absolutely. Know when to run and when not to.” Removing himself off the wall, he approached the younger teen. “I’m glad to have you back.”  
  
“Same here.”  
  
As soon as they shook hands and hugged, everything around them turned red and stopped.  
  
 _Finally, I have reached you_  
  


* * *

  
  
In the blink of an eye, Tsuji and Marcellus were brought out of the real world into someplace else. The sky was a blood red, buildings were desolate and ashen, and there was no signs of life. The bridge they stood on went on for miles. A full moon, seemingly closer than the one at home, hung in the sky. Even its rich light did not brighten up the black void hovering over the horizon.   
  
“Welcome to the Realm Beyond.”  
  
The ethereal voice was like the angels singing in harmony, a contrast to the chaotic land, easing the boys’ worries. Facing forward, a tall red shadow towered above them, its peak level with the moon. Golden, beady eyes formed and casted a downward gaze to the humans. Tsuji reflexively got into a battle stance while Marcellus began the transformation into a weapon. The shadow suddenly shrunk down to their size, raising its long, spindly arm and its hand full of spidery fingers. “Peace, children. I only seek to congratulate you.”  
  
Marcellus stopped while Tsuji relaxed a little. The entity’s soothing voice appealed to their sense of goodness. Their consciences told them to listen to it, and it showed no hostility. Deciding to humor their apparent summoner, Tsuji asked, “For what?”  
  
“Tsuji Anthony Ricardsen,” the entity said at length, “It was a most turbulent road, yet you mustered the courage to surpass all expectations. My opposition preyed on your deep-seated, subconscious fears. Made you try and submit. You completed your test and proven yourself worthy of the Enchanted Eyes’ power.”  
  
In normal situations, he’d jumped for joy. Unfortunately, this was far from normal. Tsuji narrowed his eyes and sunk into a hip, crossing his arms. “Well, that’s all fine and dandy, but I’d like a little more context. I got a bunch of questions.” Receiving a small nod, the archer held up one finger. “First off, what’d you mean by ‘my opposition’?” A second finger. “What exactly _are_ the Enchanted Eyes? I want some background since you seem to know all about it. Lastly…” He pulled at his own hair, reared his head, and screamed to the heavens, “What the heck is goin’ on?!”   
  
“Peace, child,” the entity said, holding up its hand again to calm him down, “I shall be glad to answer all of your inquiries.” It placed a hand presumably where its heart was. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am the progenitor of the Enchanted Eyes, the one who gifted humanity with this supernatural skill. I have no name, but everyone who has acquainted me simply calls me ‘Voice.’”  
  
Marcellus laughed humorlessly. “Oh come now. Surely they thought of something more original.” His response was a fleeting glance in his direction, no expression or anything to indicate a reflection of his sentiments. Marcellus assumed Voice was here strictly on business and nothing more. “Ok, I suppose not.”  
  
Voice faced the Bow Meister, arm disappearing into its body. “The existence of the Enchanted Eyes… is all my fault.”  
  
Tsuji raised an eyebrow. “Fault? What, were they a mistake or something?”  
  
Voice lifted its head to stare at the full moon. The entity’s body stretched all the way up to it. It traced the circumference of the moon with a finger. “Time in the past was very onerous. Wars were waged, emotions ran high. Many factions made rash decisions to save themselves or to punish those responsible for their plights. I fall into the second category.”  
  
Marcellus digested the information. _“I do remember them saying Witches were more dangerous long time ago. Is that what he’s talking about?”_ He then asked aloud, “So how’d you use the Enchanted Eyes to hurt people?”  
  
Voice looked down to them. “It incited human’s latent mania, making them more prone to aggression and predisposed to insanity. I trust you noticed a side-effect?”  
  
Tsuji and Marcellus recalled the Knight of Dishonor incident.   
  
“Fear not. Such behavior is nonlethal, and you'll learn to control it through repeated use.”  
  
Voice cupped the moon, and it briefly transfigured into a replica of an Enchanted Eye. The lighting in the dimension stayed the same. “I gave those closest to the gods, human beings, a ‘gift’: the Enchanted Eyes. In my misguided attempts to spite the gods for transgressions, people were damned to become monsters in human skin. To atone, I’ve since sought out future owners of the Eyes to guide and aid them to glory.”  
  
The moon turned back to normal. “Sadly the hatred of the fallen festered, and together, they have taken up my former role of punisher.” Hovering over the edge of the bridge, Voice’s body moved like a cloak flowing in the wind. From it, moving corpses came out, moaning in agony. Tsuji and Marcellus backed up, witnessing past users crying out for help. The illusion disappeared and Voice stood before them once again. “This is the ‘curse’ the mortal scholars have designated. They don’t want me to forget what I did to them. If they cannot have happiness and bliss, neither can their successors.”  
  
A little shaken up, Marcellus managed to say, “Well, you can’t exactly blame them. After all, their lives were destroyed by a force they were powerless to oppose. They never asked for that.”  
  
Tsuji placed his hands on his hips, feeling no sympathy to their grudge. “But, oh my God, it wouldn’t kill them to be less of a jackass about it. I mean, do you know how much shit I had to put up with?” Tsuji did a double take. “Wait, scratch that. Not just me, but Dad and Shannon too! And God knows who else!”  
  
“Ah, yes, I remember them myself, but I am afraid the lost souls will continue their crusade,” Voice stated, watching as Tsuji seethed, “As soon as they figure out the next user, they shall seek to corrupt him or her and lead them to total ruin, blocking off my own influence.” Voice turned its back to them and watched the darkened horizon of its personal dimension. “It is a difficult war I am waged in, yet I am prepared to fight until the end of reality itself. I owe humanity that much, atonement for the sins of my past.”  
  
Tsuji looked at his partner sympathetically. To fight this kind of battle alone for a really long time, Tsuji wasn’t sure how Voice did it. Marcellus, meanwhile, was concerned with the facts. This was their only time to learn everything they could. “Tell me something, Voice,” the Demon Bow spoke, getting its attention, “How come the Enchanted Eyes are such a mystery in the world? There were two, now three, people with them in the Academy and even with a bunch of people researching it, nobody knows any more than the next guy. Didn’t you tell Noel or Shannon this much when you reached them?”  
  
“I could not,” Voice replied, “The minute the Hewbert woman heard my words, she was cured. The minute Ricarden found someone to confide in, he was cured.” The entity casted a look towards the Bow Meister, pointing at his stomach. He instantly knew he was referring to that scene in Class Crescent Moon. “You, on the other hand, Tsuji, suffered greater damage from the curse, so direct interaction was necessitated.”  
  
“I guess that makes sense in hindsight,” Marcellus said, “They told us stuff about what was to come and prepare accordingly, not what lied at the end of the road.”  
  
Tsuji gained the desire to dispel the mysteries about the Enchanted Eyes. He wanted to learn as much as he could in this conversation in hopes of passing it on in the real world. Digging deep into his brain, the boy dredged up anything anyone mentioned about the Enchanted Eyes. A lightbulb went off in his head. “I heard a rumor that you lose some humanity in exchange for power. True or false?”  
  
Voice sighed deeply, one the two recognized as a sign of regret. “The rumors are unfortunately correct. A small fraction of the owner’s humanity is sacrificed and replaced with an equivalent to act as the conduit for the Enchanted Eyes.”  
  
Tsuji pursed his lips, unconsciously reaching up and grabbing the fabric around his heart. “Does that mean I’m part-demon, monster, vampire, or whatever?”  
  
“If you abide by such a crude description, yes,” Voice responded, “Bear in mind this ‘equivalent’ is different for everyone.”  
  
Marcellus saw his partner’s head drop. That had to be tough news to bear, knowing some of your humanity was gone through no fault of your own. The African-American reached over and placed a hand on Tsuji’s shoulder. “That doesn’t even matter, Tsuji. You’re still you.”  
  
Tsuji slapped his hand away. “I know that!” He suddenly shouted. Marcellus deadpanned at his utter flippancy. It was a like dramatic scene in a bad movie falling flat. Tsuji rolled his eyes. You ain’t got to tell me that. Sheesh.”  
  
“Just making sure.” Marcellus faced Voice once again. “Another question. Is it a requirement for people with the Enchanted Eyes to have a partner to ultimately master them? I remember Noel saying he went through years of torment before he met Rosalind and was cured when he mastered them. Then I look at Audrey and Shannon.”  
  
Voice shook its head. “Not necessarily. All it takes is willpower. If you seek out the truth and ward away the darkness, the curse cannot take ahold of you. I bear many anecdotes of sole individuals powering through their trials, and just as many about pairs who perished together. In fact, if it were not for the souls of the damned insisting on preying on your weaknesses, your shortcomings and guiding you to death and self-destruction, the Enchanted Eyes could be mastered like any learnable skill or ability.”  
  
Marcellus sighed in exasperation and kicked imaginary dust. “But, since things aren’t ever that easy, the curse forces us to go through all these changes – the trial, test, or whatever’s the appropriate term. ‘You want a brand spanking-new supernatural skill? Too bad. We’re trying to kill you and curse your soul for all eternity.’” He spat out the bad taste in his mouth. “Almost makes the thing not worth the rollercoaster ride.”  
  
“I’d like to look at the bright side of things.” Tsuji folded his arms behind his head, idly kicking one leg. Marcellus and Voice couldn’t believe how carefree he was after all this. “It’s a bloodline power, so I was gonna get it anyway. This stuff made me face my fears once and for all, and I’m alive and well in the end. You know what they say, what don’t kill you makes you stronger.”  
  
“You’re… awfully optimistic,” Voice said, dumbfounded.  
  
Tsuji looked at Voice like it said a stupid question. “Why shouldn’t I be?” He heard then a wry chuckle from his weapon partner and turned to him. “What’s so funny, Marce?”  
  
Marcellus started counting off all the known threats in the world. “So we have Kishin Eggs that terrorize the Earth to eat souls to become Kishins, Evil Humans whose souls become corrupted through strings of heinous crimes that must be executed for humanity’s sake, various Monsters, Witches with an inclination towards destruction willing to do whatever to undermine the Academy, and things like the Enchanted Eyes curse trying to make people’s lives hell.” He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply. “Here I thought the world was better than that. I thought I’d seen it all in just Chicago. That’s a lot of things out to get us.” Dropping his arm, he lifted his head to look at both Tsuji and Voice. “But you know what? That’s fine. Somebody’s gotta help teach those things a lesson even if the dangers are very real. That’s our job as Academy students, right?”  
  
Tsuji grinned widely and then looked at the progenitor of the Enchanted Eyes. “Voice, I’m gonna make a promise to you right now. I’ll help. There’s not enough info out there for people with the Enchanted Eyes. Word of mouth ain’t enough. We gotta let those guys know, whatever they’re goin’ through, we’re there for ‘em. I’ll be your real-world helper. This power born from despair will be used for the greater good. So will all this knowledge you gave me too.” He pounded himself in the chest, making on the vow on his heart. “Bank on that.”  
  
Voice stared expressionlessly at the two males. So much conviction in their voices, and towards someone like it, an entity they did not know personally until now. _“And thus is why I placed my faith in humanity. What a fool I was.”_ Voice finally nodded its assent. “Then my work here is complete. Do not worry, the flow of time ceased when I summoned the two of you here. It will resume upon your return.”  
  
Voice reached up and the Realm Beyond began to warp. Right as it did, Tsuji thought of something else. “Wait! One more thing!” The process abruptly ended, Voice looking at the meister questioningly. “OK, the Enchanted Eyes are your thing, right? That means you know the most. I’m catchin’ hell adjusting to the Eyes and the powers it got. Train me. Get me geared for battle before I go back out there. Ya know, since we apparently got all the time in the world.”  
  
“That’s a great idea!” Marcellus grinned. “This poor guy here hasn’t realize the Enchanted Eyes don’t boost his speed or reflexes.”  
  
Voice cupped its imaginary chin, pondering. “A most peculiar request.” Raising its hand, the bridge turned red like the sky and the same corpses from before rose around the boys, garbed in armor and armed to the teeth. This time, Tsuji and Marcellus steeled their nerves.   
  
“Very well then, I suggest you prepare yourselves.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God, I am such a slow, inefficient writer. I promised to get the arc done before Spring Break ended, and I totally failed. Does anyone out there know any tips on being more efficient? HELP ME.
> 
> The next chapter will be the last Tsuji/Marcellus-centric chapter of the arc, and only because they fight Walena. You guys may groan at this, but the chapter may take some time (even though I write action chapters faster than normal) because I have to consult with Hope. Walena’s her character, and I have to make sure I get her combat abilities and personality right. 
> 
> Read and review!


	45. The Right Way, The Wrong Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cancer begins the slow destruction of the Chicago Underground Association, but elsewhere, Marcellus settles a grudge.

**The Right Way, The Wrong Way**  
  
A geyser erupted from the Port of Chicago with Cancer standing on top. Once level with the hand railing, she grabbed it and flung herself onto the concrete. She checked her surroundings, seeing it was abandoned. A breeze passed by, billowing her long silver hair. An omen, for sure, but whether for her or her enemies, she wasn’t sure. Raking her bangs back, Cancer closed her eyes. “Release.”  
  
Once her Soul Protect dropped, the wind picked up and a black aura covered the outline of her body. “Crustacean crustaceous. Crustacean crustaceous—”  
  
She was interrupted by the screeching of tires. Cracking one eye open, she saw a car come to an abrupt halt. From it, Noel and Stein rushed out with Spirit transforming into a scythe and slipping into Stein’s hands. Cancer raised an eyebrow. “The DWMA’s greatest meister and the ‘Demon of the DWMA’. This is unexpected.”  
  
“Hey!” Spirit complained, “What I am? Chopped liver?!”  
  
“Not now, Spirit.” Stein chided, keeping his eyes on Cancer. Taking another step forward, the scientist then said, “You really should do a better job picking your accomplices. Because of them, we now know about Project Omega and the Anria, and how they are linked to you.”  
  
Cancer pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing. “Wonderful. There goes the one leverage I had against the Academy.” She gazed up to the skyline obscured by the buildings. _“Oh, Walena, you are going to pay for not communicating with me.”_  
  
“Cancer,” Noel spoke up, stepping forward as well. The two of them weren’t going to let her go, but they still had to be careful, “What are you doing here anyway? Don’t take this as a compliment, but I never thought you’d associate with common criminals.”  
  
Soon, they heard the roar of engines, signaling the arrival of the rest of the Chicago Gang. _“Perfect timing.”_ Cancer thought, tapping into her magic power again. “Here is your answer, gentlemen.”  
  
She raised her hand, and the waters behind her suddenly stirred. As the ground rumbled, Stein and Noel braced themselves. A pillar of water rose behind her, growing larger and larger to the point it towered above them and eclipsed the moon. The rushing water drowned out the distant screams of the gangsters. A mechanical leg stretched out from the column of water. A single step crushed a building, the shockwave knocking everyone flat. The sky suddenly turned red as another leg came out, repeating the process.  
  
The water finally disappeared, and the first thing everybody noticed was the red eye glowering down at them. The light of the moon and stars gleamed off its stark white, streamlined, and organic body, a contrast to its dark legs.  
  
Stein shot a hand up to his bolt and cranked it furiously. Eyes, blood, and darkness flashed through his vision. All of a sudden, he wanted to giggle – a sure sign of Madness. His hands itched and twitched. It was the unmistakable urge to cut up the nearest specimen. He bit his lip hard to the point he tasted blood, forcing himself away from the realms of insanity he swore to his loved ones he’d never return to.  
  
“What _is_ that?!” Noel shouted, standing up on his feet. He spotted Cancer conjuring up another summoning. From the port, giant crabs, black and blue, jumped over the barricades and flooded the territory. The screams of the Chicago Gang in the distance intensified. At that moment, Noel realized who the real enemy was.  
  
As Project Omega brought its hind legs onto land, Noel whipped out his phone. “Tezca. We need backup _now_.”  


* * *

  
  
Adjusting his trenchcoat, Tsuji walked from around the corner of a building and spotted the villa in the distance. Throughout the artificial park, gang members seeking refuge from the outside world were ambushed by Walena’s puppets and turned over on their side. There was no way he was getting through without someone seeing him.  
  
“Screw this. I’m goin’ up high.” Tsuji backtracked to the nearest fire exit on the side of a building and climbed the ladder and stairs to reach a rooftop. Even though he had to do a little circling around, he eventually made it to the closest possible building to the villa. He held the bow up to face and asked, “So, Marcellus, what should we do now?”  
  
“Well, she’s inside, that’s for sure,” Marcellus replied, reflection appearing on the crystal ball, his Sonar working, “Probably the foyer if I’m right.”  
  
“Well,” Tsuji took several steps backwards, preparing to get a running start for his jump, “time to dive right in.”  
  
“Now, are you sure we shouldn’t wait for the others?” Marcellus questioned out of the blue.  
  
Tsuji laughed. “You ask me that now of all times? C’mon, Marcellus, have a little faith. We can do this.” His smile vanished as he assumed a runner’s stance, now focused on his goal. “You saw what was goin’ on. We _can’t_ wait.”  
  
Inside the villa, its whole structure had been changed to better suit Walena’s tastes. Masks of different colors and patterns lined the walls, green and black vines clung to the walls and columns, and the atmosphere was brighter thanks to the addition of green, pink, and red lights. At the foyer on the apex of the stairs, Walena, garbed in her witch outfit, sat on a throne looking in her crystal ball on its pedestal.  
  
“This couldn’t have gone any better!” She squealed, watching more and more of the gang become her puppets. “As soon as the whole of the Chicago Gang falls under my spell, I can cut off this territory from the rest of the world, pretty it up some more, and then Tazmina can finally have her happiness.”  
  
The roof broke open with a crash, startling Walena to the point she almost fell out of her throne. Looking up, she saw someone standing in the very middle of the room. Tsuji stood with his hands out and raised like an actor about to demand the audience’s attention. “We, unaccustomed to courage exiles from delight live coiled in shells of loneliness—”  
  
A legion of Walena’s masked soldiers came out of the shadows and dogpiled Tsuji. Walena smirked, closing her eyes and preparing to hear his cries of agony.  
  
“—until love leaves its high holy temple and comes into our sight.”  
  
Walena’s eyes shot wide open, looking off to the side to see Tsuji aiming an arrow dead at her head. The boy gave her a mocking smirk. “To liberate us into life.”  
  
The minute he fired, the arrow was intercepted and Tsuji was tackled to the ground away from Walena. As he tumbled along the floor, Tsuji grabbed the offender and pushed him or her away, quickly getting to his feet. He saw another guy wearing those strange masks, picking up his top hat and putting it back on his head. Tsuji took steps back, keeping his view of all enemies in the room.  
  
Marcellus’s reflection appeared on his weapon form’s crystal ball, eyes going wide. “Left? Right?”  
  
“Yeeeeah, Marcey, they found out about me so they were the first to go,” Walena stated as she retook her seat on her throne, crossing her legs and slouching on it.  
  
Marcellus glared at her, disliking her casual tone. “I’m back, Miyuki, just like I said I’d be.”  
  
“Oh, please, call me by my real name, Walena.” The wombat witch met the eyes of Tsuji. He didn’t look anything impressive, but he did waltz right in, recite a poem, and dodged a preemptive attack in the blink of an eye. “So who’s your lapdog?”  
  
“My _partner’s_ name is Tsuji Ricardsen,” Marcellus replied with a bite.  
  
Tsuji grinned, toying with her. “Sup?” A masked puppet lunged at him across the room, like an animal pouncing its prey, but Tsuji kicked the person through the hole in the roof. Several more decided to challenge him. Tsuji assumed a kickboxer’s stance and fended them off with precise kicks to their guts or faces, either knocking them out instantly or blowing them away like the last.  
  
Walena gritted her teeth. Since these were the weaker ones, they’d bruise more easily. “Womba batta wom wom ba ba wom.” Once she completed the incantation, every single one of them beside Left and Right retreated to the shadows, disappearing. “So you’re not just full of it, huh?”  
  
Tsuji relaxed and sauntered towards the middle of the foyer, keeping his eyes on Left, the only obstacle between him and the witch. “Hey, gotta make a good first impression, right?”  
  
“Tsuji,” Marcellus whispered, “That guy’s name is Left and the weapon he’s holding is Right. If you couldn’t tell, they’re very fast. Don’t let your guard down around them.”  
  
Tsuji nodded. He figured as much since Left reacted swiftly enough to stop his arrow from beheading Walena. “That’s a bold move, calling off your goons like that. Ya ask me, you were better off dividin’ my attention.”  
  
“Don’t patronize me,” Walena retorted, narrowing her eyes, “Like I needed to see you show off any more than you already have.”  
  
“Know what they call your kind?” Tsuji quipped, spinning his bow in hand. “A hater.”  
  
Walena responded by snapping her fingers. Tsuji automatically adopted a defensive stance, anticipating an attack from Left, but he stayed put. “Tsuji, look below!” Sure enough, in the space between Tsuji and Left, a portal made from the shadowy tendrils of Walena’s mask formed. A droning groan echoed within it as something was pulled out from it.  
  
Once it was revealed, Marcellus forgot how to breathe. “D-…Dad?”  
  
Tsuji went slack-jawed in horror. “ _That’s_ your dad?!”  
  
Portis’s face couldn’t be seen behind the Anria mask. His velvet brown skin was now so pale it made snow look filthy. White spines jutted out from his back and shoulders. Finally, growths of sickly-looking rocks and crystals dotted his body like a parasite threatening to consume its host.  
  
Shock gave way to anger. Marcellus’s slate blue eyes burned with a fire completely foreign to him. He glared at the wombat witch and asked with a snarl behind his voice, “What did you do?”  
  
With a slight giggle, Walena stood from her throne. “Well, you can’t give me all the credit,” she said, descending the stairs, “A little friend helped me make this particular Lao.” She stopped between Portis and Left, using her delicate fingers to trace the most outstanding parts of the transformed Portis. “It uses my Voodoo Magic to transform the wearer into something like an Anria. If I’m going to have a utopia for me and my adorable little sis, I need protectors, right?”  
  
“Go make you some,” Marcellus argued, “Leave other people out of your delusions of grandeur.”  
  
Walena placed a finger on her chin, pretending to ponder the idea. “Hmm… Neh, this is easier. That’d be far too much trouble for my little friends and I.” She whipped back around and walked back to her throne, heels clicking against the wood floor. After she took a seat, she continued, “You know what, Marcellus? I thought about doing the same for you, but I think I’ll let you have your free will. After all, you’re smart, handsome, levelheaded, if a bit rough around the edges. You’d make a great husband for Tazmina. She’d definitely be happy.”  
  
Marcellus grimaced. “So, in other words, you still want to rob me of my freedom just under a different pretense. No thanks.”  
  
“And you’re a damn fool if you think I’m gonna let this slide,” Tsuji interjected, narrowing his eyes, “Uh-uh. It’s a wrap for you.”  
  
Having no more intention of humoring her, Marcellus decided to bring this expository banter to a close, “The fact of the matter, Walena, is you’re guilty of a serious crime. And I, Marcellus of Death Weapon Meister Academy, am supposed to make sure you are convicted of it. Try and stop us if you can, but you’ll see Tsuji and I won’t lose that easily. So you better go ahead and pray to whatever god you believe in. Because your soul is ours, end of story.”  
  
“And since Marcellus can’t hit the broadside of a barn, the honor goes to me. Nothing personal, ya know.” Tsuji smirked and licked his lips, anticipating the taste of a sweet, well-earned victory, “Well, okay, maybe a little.”  
  
Left moved like a phantom – there one moment and gone the next. Tsuji quickly bent backwards to avoid the swipe of his cane sword. He rotated, bring his leg up as he did so, but his kick was blocked by Left’s sheath. Tsuji went for another kick, but Left ducked beneath it, lunging at him. Seeing it coming, Tsuji blocked the sword with his bow. He gritted his teeth, forced to take some steps back to alleviate the pressure. _“Gotta create some distance. I’m mid-to-long range. I’m only good at kickboxing so I can knock people back when they get close!”_  
  
“Behind you!”  
  
The warning was unnecessary. Portis already hammered his fist into Tsuji’s side, sending the boy into the wall with a bang. He slid down into a squatting positon, feeling dull pain in his back from the impact.  
  
“Tsuji, are you alright?” Marcellus asked in concern.  
  
Tsuji rolled his eyes, straightening up. “Oh, please. Don’t nobody hit harder than Old Man and Sis.” Before he did anything else, shadow tendrils phased through the wall and wrapped themselves around his neck. The boy choked and flailed, trying to wrest himself from them.  
  
“What the?!” Marcellus looked up to see the Laos on the wall grinning and laughing, being the source of the tendrils ghosting the walls. Growling, he then commanded, “Tsuji, Mode Change! Javelin Form! Throw me right above you!”  
  
Hearing that, Walena gestured to the Bow Meister. “Don’t you let him!”  
  
Even with Left’s great speed, Tsuji was now more efficient in Mode Changing. By the time the henchman closed the gap, Tsuji threw the javelin up to the Laos and Marcellus made himself detonate via Meteor Javelin. The explosion blew Left away and caused the Laos to release their grip Tsuji. The masks frowned and chanted faint lines in unison. Walena’s stomach twisted in a knot, hearing their cries. “Shh, shh, shh! Don’t worry. That won’t happen again.”  
  
Tsuji rose to his feet, the javelin returning to his hand, and he chucked it at Walena. “One more time! Meteor Javelin!” Portis rushed over to the throne with thunderous footsteps. Once in the way, he crossed his arms in front of his face and accepted the brunt of the attack. Tsuji growled in frustration. “Dang. They won’t let me hurt her.”  
  
“Here comes Left!” Marcellus yelled.  
  
Immediately after the javelin came back, Tsuji used it to deflect several of Left’s swings. He kept his feet moving and eyes peeled as the swift henchman tried attacking him from every direction. The two locked blade and javelin after a certain point, getting into a contest of upper body strength. Unfortunately, Tsuji let his competitiveness get the best of him. Slowly but surely, Left began pushing him back. Gritting his teeth, Tsuji stopped resisting, which caused him to fall backwards. Bringing his feet up, he drove them into Left’s exposed gut and used his legs to toss the henchman into the waiting wall.  
  
“You know who that guy reminds me of?” Tsuji said as he completed a somersault to get back on his feet. “The Twin Gentlemen.”  
  
“Yeah, you’re right,” Marcellus replied in realization, comparing Left’s and theirs fighting style and seeing the similarities, “Except we don’t have Kim’s fire to keep them at bay, but you got a point.”  
  
Hearing an inhuman roar, the two males looked to see Portis launching his spines at Tsuji. After dodging them, they watched as they retracted all the way back to Portis’s body. Then, the man charged forward like a bull seeing red. Tsuji’s mind raced to figure out what course of action to take. _“Javelin Form’s gonna make me fight up close and I don’t want that. It’s harder to fight these guys in Default Form. Longbow Form’s definitely not happenin’… Crossbow Form?”_  
  
Tsuji strafed side-to-side to avoid Portis’s punches. The force of each one was palpable to him, making sweat pour more and more down his face. After the archer backpedaled some more, Portis punched the ground and summoned spines from the floor. Tsuji released a brief grunt as some of them pierced his clothing and flesh, making him stumble. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Left rushed from behind Portis and swung through the spines, hitting Tsuji.  
  
The Bow Meister screamed as the blade run across his torso, the fine edge igniting his pain receptors. “Cr-Crossbow Form!” He managed to scream out to Marcellus. _“I need to get these guys off me!”_ He dodged a second strike, one that still was close enough to graze his head, Mode Changing to Crossbow Form.  
  
Swinging his arm, he sent out the boomerang-shaped blade as it spun and whirred like a buzzsaw. The charging Left and Portis separated to avoid it. Crouching down, Tsuji leapt over them, catching the buzzsaw on its return trip. After landing some feet away, Tsuji released it again. Portis deflected it was his arm, causing it go back. Tsuji continued backing up, well aware of the approaching wall. A Lao smiled and prepared its tendrils to skewer him. Its smile faded when Tsuji suddenly looked over his shoulder with a grin. “Special delivery.”  
  
Lifting his leg, Tsuji kicked the blade straight into the mask, breaking it. The Laos frowned and released otherworldly cries, condemning Walena for her carelessness. Portis and Left froze in their spot as Walena tried to pacify the voodoo spirits. Marcellus watched the restless masks chant. “You figured out those guys don’t like it when they get hurt, huh?”  
  
Tsuji focused on the unmoving Portis and Left, switching from Crossbow Form to Default Form. “Yeah, it buys us some time too.” Pulling the bowstring back, he unleashed a barrage of blazing arrows straight at them. “Ultima Arrow!”  
  
By the time she soothed the Laos, Walena was alerted to the sounds of arrows hitting flesh, and she saw her two best puppets being driven into the wall. She clicked her tongue in disgust, crossing her arms under her chest. “That Meister is impressive for a mere human. I’m actually considering making him apart of my utopia.”  
  
Tsuji flashed her his middle finger. “Kiss my ass. How’s that?”  
  
Walena deadpanned. “It’s a good thing manners aren’t necessary.”  
  
As much as they should be taking this time to try and score a killing blow, there was still something about Walena that bothered Marcellus. “I don’t get you, Walena,” he said against his better nature, “Maybe I’m just ignorant, but I fail to understand why turning people into puppets will help you. These are human beings with their own lives, goals, and emotions. Here you are robbing them of that.”  
  
The witch rolled her eyes, not in the mood for a lecture in morality. “Pft. They’re lawbreakers, criminals, and bloodsucking scumbags. Who’s going to miss them?”  
  
“You’re dodging my question,” Marcellus retorted, rolling his lollipop around in his mouth, “But if you don’t want to answer that one, how about this? Does your sister approve of this? I want to hear her input and don’t you dare lie to me.”  
  
Something snapped inside Walena, and she spoke without thinking. “She wants this as much as I do!”  
  
Marcellus raised an eyebrow and pretended to look around. “Then why isn’t she here helping you? If this is something you both want, where’s the teamwork?”  
  
“What do you know?!” Walena screeched, shooting up from her throne and marching down to the floor. Her eyes glowed, daring either boys to say something else out of line. “You ran away from your folks! Your standoffishness caused them so pain, more than you realize! You have no right to lecture me!”  
  
“Well, first off, I wasn’t talking about Portis and Morgan. Secondly…” Marcellus closed his eyes, sighed, and hung his head. “I know. I’m man enough to admit it. I never noticed how hard those two were trying to repent.” Flashes of his parents’ sacrifice to ensure his survival came across his mind. He clenched his fists, trying to stay strong for them. “Today made me realize that. Which is why I’m here with Tsuji fighting for what little of their legacy remains.”  
  
As they talked, Tsuji quietly watched Walena, taking note of her reactions to Marcellus’s series of questions. “Hey, Marce?” He finally piped in, “Call it a hunch, but I don’t think this chick’s sis actually knows about it. You saw how she reacted. Pretty guilty if you ask me.”  
  
“BE QUIET!” Walena’s shout came like a roar of thunder. The shadows danced, and the masks smiled, beginning to chant in ancient language. To the boys, it implied guilt more than ever. The innocent never acted this defensive. “You don’t know a damn thing, human!”  
  
“I’ll fill him in,” Marcellus said, remembering their conversation in his bedroom, “Apparently, their mother was killed in an attack. Now, at first, I thought it was just gang violence. In light of these recent developments, I’m guessing it had to do with the Academy instead. I can understand wanting to protect your blood, I’d do the same, but it sounds to me you made this rash decision all on your own.”  
  
“I’m not here to listen to you bastards judge me!” She pointed a sharp fingernail at Tsuji. “Hurry up and kill them already!”    
  
Finally, Portis and Left advanced towards the archer, ready to fulfill their mistress’s wish. As Walena returned to her throne to watch a bloodbath, Tsuji locked onto his targets. “Slow your roll before you get pumped full of arrows! Ultima Arrow!” He rapidly fired an array of arrows, hoping to stop them dead in their tracks again.  
  
Left took the lead, and both Tsuji and Marcellus saw the orange glints in his eyes.  
  
The cane sword moved like a blur, knocking arrow after arrow away. Once the path was clear, Portis lunged at the surprised Tsuji, driving a fist full of spines into his side. Eyes growing wide and gnashing his teeth together, Tsuji was driven into the wall and dragged across it. With the meister still on his fist, Portis extended the spines and shot Tsuji straight to the ceiling.  
  
Once they retracted, Tsuji fell from the ceiling. He forced his eyes open despite the pain, only to be face-to-face with Left. His irises were unmistakably orange, broad black rims around them, and his pupils were like a reptile. _“He has ‘em too?!”_ Tsuji thought right before Left swung, dense orange energy trailing his weapon, and sent him into the stairway’s handrail and into the waiting wall.  
  
Tsuji fell forward onto his hands and knees, his blood dripping down to the floor. “Come on, Tsuji, move!” Marcellus urged, “We aren’t down for the count yet!”  
  
“Good, I’m glad.” Walena held up a finger. The shadows grabbed Tsuji and promptly tossed him back into the foyer where Portis and Left lurked. “That means you aren’t done entertaining me.”  
  
Catching himself midair, Tsuji landed on his feet and quickly identified his threats. The two were circling around him like predators sizing up their prey. Though, most of his attention was on Left and his newly-revealed Enchanted Eyes. Orange light surrounded the shikomizue and then crumbled away. Nothing drastic happened to it, just aesthetic changes – the blade was now bright orange, and the darker handle had some designs on it.  
  
“So that means he’s got all the benefits of the Eyes too,” Marcellus pointed out, “No wonder he was able to deflect Ultima Arrow.”  
  
“Hold on now, Marcellus,” Tsuji contended, “That’s only cuz that dude is naturally that quick. Like you said, the Eyes don’t boost speed and reflexes. It just gives you a stronger body cuz of the wavelength flowing through it.”  
  
He also recalled something Voice told him during their training session: ‘Meisters with the Enchanted Eyes are known as Blood Meisters, and Weapons are Blood Weapons. The humans have come to apply this distinction to their partners as well. I trust you noticed your weapon form changes whenever he activates the Eyes?’  
  
The time was right. If these guys wanted to take it to the next level, Tsuji was more than happy to oblige. An exhilarated grin stretched across his face, prompting Left and Portis to move at the same time. “It’s put up or shut up time.”  
  
The villa shook as the former don and henchman hit the spot where Tsuji once stood. “Saw _that_ comin’ a mile away!” He shouted from some feet back. As soon as Portis and Left turned to the source, several orange arrows hit the area around them. Left managed to dash out, leaving Portis to be engulfed in an explosion of black and red hellfire.  
  
Near the corner of the room, a grinning Tsuji relaxed from his stance. Marcellus had transfigured into a red and orange bow the minute his meister turned on the Enchanted Eyes. “Blood Bow: Ichaival.” When he saw Left charging, quick as ever, his grin widened to reveal his sharpened, vampiric teeth. The first swing of the sword was easy to dodge, so Left kept up the pressure, chaining together strokes and jabs at an increasing pace. Despite that, Tsuji continued to avoid them.  
  
“Make some distance, man, quit showboating,” Marcellus coached, aware his partner was having fun using his newfound mastery over the Enchanted Eyes. From the corner of his eyes, he noticed Portis in a peculiar, hunched-over stance. “Incoming!”  
  
Knocking away Left’s arm to force him off-center, Tsuji grabbed and put him in the path of the volleyed spines. They dug into Left’s body, making him go limp and convulse in pain. Tsuji then kneed Left into his prone face hard enough to send him all the way to Portis, the two masked men tumbling to the floor.  
  
“Now’s your chance!” Marcellus shouted. “Finish them off!”  
  
As Tsuji pulled back the bowstring, an arrow of compressed Demonic Wavelength formed, black and red hellfire soon swirling around it. “Alucard’s Blaze.” He let it loose. As soon as it made contact, an explosion engulfed the two gangsters. Seeing Walena shield her eyes from it, Tsuji saw a chance. “She’s open!”  
  
Out of nowhere, he sensed danger. Turning around, he saw the Laos forming a maw made of sharp shadows to try and assault him. Tsuji glared at the Laos and exerted his Demonic Wavelength. The masks stopped and gasped in unison. Their tendrils quivered, wanting to keep going but fearing the consequences.  
  
Walena saw the scene, unable to form words. She couldn’t believe her eyes. _“Th-They’re scared of him?! Are you kidding me?!”_ She balled her fists as the sight of Tsuji shooting down three of the Laos. _“Y-You guys are supernatural voodoo spirits. And you’re scared of him? Him?! A human!”_ She placed her hand on her face, summoning black and green markings like the face paint on her masks. In her other hand, a rod appeared in a wisp of green smoke. She punched the ground with the end of the rod, summoning a giant fist to crush an unsuspecting Tsuji.  
  
The boy coughed out blood the moment he was driven into the floor. Surprised, Marcellus growled and shouted at Walena. “HEY! That was a dirty move!”  
  
Ignoring him, Walena walked down to the foyer, gesturing Portis and Left to stand down. Her grip around the rod was so tight her knuckles turned white. “If only… If only you Academy people never existed!” Seeing Tsuji trying to get back up, she repeated move and floored him once again. “Then none of this would’ve ever happened! If killing you solved everything, I’d do it right here and now, you rotten scum!” She did it again, this time with enough force to shake the foyer.  
  
Tsuji struggled to breathe. Every single one of his wounds flared up on top on being violently crushed. “What the hell… I did nothing to you…”  
  
“The world would be fine, and I’d have my life!” Walena saw red, completely letting her emotions control her. She crushed Tsuji two more times, trying to get some catharsis. “ _You guys the reason why_! _What do you have to say for yourself_?!”  
  
Tsuji slowly lifted his head and flashed her a grin, blood dribbling from the corners of his mouth. “This coat… was eighty dollars…” He was driven into the floor yet again so Walena couldn’t see his smug mug.  
  
“Walena, stop!” Marcellus shouted pleadingly. If kept up, Tsuji would be easy prey for Portis and Left. “That was a terrible thing that happened to you and your family. But you can’t take it out on humanity as a whole! All you’re doing is perpetuating a cycle! You’re acting just like Witches like Medusa!”  
  
“Don’t you dare group me together with those wretches!” Walena screeched in response, “I am a Witch Society member no more!”  
  
Marcellus was officially a roadblock with this woman, one he wasn’t sure he could surmount. _“So she hates humans and her own kind. Man, she is so far gone I’ve no clue if she can even be reasoned with anymore. How sad…”_  
  
Tsuji shut off the Enchanted Eyes, causing Ishaival to revert to Default Form. Despite his body crying out for him not to move, he mustered the strength to Mode Change the bow into a javelin. In the second it took Walena to realize he was up to something, the javelin hit the space before her. “Meteor Javelin!”  
  
The explosion took place, swallowing up a screaming Walena. Portis and Left instantly shot into the smoke to check up on their mistress. The woman writhed on the floor, still crying in pain.  
  
Once the smoke clear, Tsuji was gone.  


* * *

  
  
In Portis’s office, Marcellus shut the door and propped a chair against the knob. He wasn’t sure how effective the barricade would be, but it was the best he could do in this situation. Tsuji threw himself into the office chair behind the desk, releasing a long, drawn-out sigh of relief at the feeling of the cushion against his sore muscles.  
  
“Crazy-ass bitch,” The archer muttered, “As soon as I catch my breath, she’s good as dead.”  
  
Marcellus sat on the desk itself, deciding to keep watch while his meister regained his energy. “For it basically being three-on-one, you’re doing great, Tsuji. The only thing that caught us off-guard were the freaky masks and Left having the Enchanted Eyes.”  
  
Tsuji closed his eyes, resting them. “You notice, every time we go for Walena, those dudes go to her aid? They don’t even worry about me. Just her.”  
  
“Yep.” Marcellus crunched down on what was left of his lollipop and spat out the naked stick. Too bad it was the one Tsuji gave him. “Just like those masks didn’t like it when others got destroyed. So that’s two things we can use.”  
  
Tsuji gripped the edge of the armrest tightly. “We’re still in this. This ain’t over by a long shot.”  
  
Silence reigned. During it, Tsuji thought about the situation. Having someone to watch his back would optimize his success. Honestly, he wondered how Crona even managed to beat Medusa, who was likely even stronger than Walena. “You know, man, let’s try to make it even easier on ourselves. Think the guys are here yet?”  
  
A giant bang shook the whole territory, knocking Marcellus off the desk and making Tsuji jump in shock. “Yo, what was _that_?!”  
  
Marcellus scrambled to the window and separated the blinds. His face turned blank as he witnessed Project Omega’s Second Form tearing up the land. “Yeah, um, I don’t think our friends will be joining us.”  


* * *

  
  
Kujira lied in a bed in the medical ward, having long finished surgery. When she woke up, Henderson said he removed her damaged eye and replaced it with a fully functional artificial eye, cleaning up all the mess in the process. It’d be awhile before those bandages came off however.  
  
The room was deathly quiet. No mode of entertainment besides her shut-off phone was around, Henderson was still working on Soriano, and Cancer and Walena were nowhere to be found. All she could do was lay there and stare at the white ceiling. Even then, she couldn’t see much thanks to blurred vision. The boredom growing too much for her, she reached over to the bedside nightstand, groped around for her phone, picked it up, and turned it on.  
  
The reality set in when she was bombarded with messages.  
  
“Oh, crap.” The time read a half past 10:00 PM. It had been _hours_ since the attempt on Morgan’s and Marcellus’s lives. If the sheer number of messages were any indication, the aftermath was dreadful, and both she and Soriano weren’t around for the gang. Swallowing thickly, Kujira dialed a number and put it on speakerphone.  
  
“Kujira! Where the hell are you and Boss?! You won’t believe what’s going on!”  
  
“I-I’m sorry,” Kujira croaked, voice hoarse from grogginess, “Me and Boss got hurt, and I didn’t come to until now. What’s up?”  
  
“ _The S.W.A.T. Team is at our front door, that’s what_!”  
  
Kujira’s brain shut off for several seconds. By the time it rebooted, she asked, “Say that again?”  
  
“Damn it, Kujira, we’re under attack! _Help us_!”  
  
The line cut off after a series of garbled words. Kujira ended the call and stared at the ceiling. During a time when she, a leader, was needed most, the Other Side Gang was on the verge of shutdown, and her underlings were outright begging someone to save them. Gritting her teeth, Kujira gripped the metal railing of her bed and forced herself to sit up. “These guys are all I know. And Lord knows Boss will lose his mind if he wakes up to hear the Other Side Gang is no more.”  
  
She put on her spare set of glasses. Her clothes were on a rack in the corner and arranged on the floor were all her weapons. If this were any other time, Kujira would be impressed by Henderson’s neatness. Slowly rolling out of bed, Kujira stopped at her bedside and hunched over. Even with the supply of morphine, her head swam, and her body was numb. “But, man, the S.W.A.Ts? Is nothing ever easy?” Even as she said that, Kujira ripped off the IV to free herself. Now, dull pain coursed her body, but it was something she could work with. In the past, she had to outrun K-9 units with five bullets in her body.  
  
She dressed herself for battle as quickly as her ailing body allowed. She already made the decision to save the Other Side Gang by herself, but the answer to how escaped her. These weren’t regular police officers. They were S.W.A.Ts, men and women who spat in the face of danger just about every week or so.  
  
Then, it hit her. She stared into the palm of her hand, remembering exactly what she could do. “I guess it’s a good thing I’m not normal.”  


* * *

  
  
Tsuji learned quickly he was terrible at stealth when he wasn’t trying to snipe someone. When he exited the office, the quietest creak of his footstep prompted Left to rush into the hallway like a moth to a flame. What followed was a race, Tsuji trying to get out of the enclosed space and Left attempting to kill him before so. During the first blows, Tsuji concentrated on his defense and let his muscles settle into the rhythm of blocking and dodging. It was easy to do with the Enchanted Eyes and Marcellus volunteering to look out for Portis or Walena.    
  
After several minutes of close-quarters combat, Tsuji’s defensive front prevailed, and he made it back to the stairway leading to the foyer. Marcellus noticed Walena changed the scenery, instead positioning her throne right at the front door. She watched them come into view with a neutral expression, impatiently drumming her fingers on her rod. _“Does she intend to be more proactive?”_  
  
In that brief instance he let his focus slip, Marcellus failed to notice Portis stampeding out of the shadows and pinning Tsuji to the wall with his arm. Left appeared beside his superior and swung his cane sword directly at Tsuji’s neck. Eyes shrinking to the smallest degree, Tsuji angled his head down, opened his mouth wide, and caught blade with his teeth in an act of desperation.  
  
His fight-or-flight system kicking in, Tsuji drove his foot straight into Portis’s gut to send his away and then bashed his bow against Left’s head to stun him. With a small running start, he jumped from the top of the staircase and landed in the center of the foyer. His whole body trembled. “Holy shit, my heart’s pounding. Remind me to _never_ do that again.”  
  
Walena had expected a quick defeat and easy humiliation, not an equal opponent, and her simmering anger now boiled. The wombat witch wouldn't be content with wounds and victory; she was out for blood. Tsuji was ready to fight for his life harder than ever now. His ordeal made him more appreciative of life and making the most of it while having fun. He wasn’t going to let anything stopped him from living life to the fullest. Losing was not an option.    
  
Now everyone was back in the foyer like before. Portis and Left were circling a guarded Tsuji once again. Walena scornfully gazed down to the first-degree burns and wounds on spots of her exposed skin. “How dare you mar my beautiful body like that.”  
  
He smiled mockingly. “Oh, live a little, sweetness, pain can make ya stronger.”  
  
Placing a hand on the end of her rod, she then drew it back, conjuring a whip of dark energy. “Naughty boys like you need to be taught a lesson.”  
  
“I’m in school, thank you very much,” he quipped, immediately back-flipping to avoid the crack of her whip. Portis and Left flanked him on either side, so he backpedaled to keep them in his line of sight. He fired a quick arrow at Portis to keep him from advancing. Reacting to that, Left swung his sword downward, launching a stream of energy through the floor.  
  
The attack crashed into Tsuji, sending him back-first into the stairs. Giving him no time to rest, Portis jumped up with a fist geared back, intending to squash his head like a bug. Tsuji fired two quick arrows to intercept him, blowing the don away. He rolled to the side to avoid another stream of slashed energy and then shot some arrows, which Left deflected.  
  
The archer hurried away from the staircase. Walena lashed out her whip, but Tsuji sidestepped it. Left and Portis charged in unopposed, but Tsuji stayed dauntless. When he sensed danger, he identified the threat so his Eyes could work their magic. This scenario was a higher level than what Voice subjected him to, but his will to live made him rise to the challenge.  
  
While Marcellus was impressed with Tsuji’s defense, he was doing very little to ease up the pressure on him. The numbers would overwhelm him at this rate. “Don’t be afraid to switch off the Eyes. We can’t use Mode Change with them on, so you lose utility.”  
  
Striking Left with a hard kick, Tsuji realized Marcellus had a point. Ishaival catered to his strengths, but it made him predictable. Seeing Portis shoot spines, he ducked under them. “But, shit, Marcellus! You see what’s happenin’ right now?!”  
  
The Blood Bow chuckled. “Then make it easier on yourself. Go for the knee or the Achilles’ tendon.”  
  
It clicked – slow down the bigger threat. Tsuji focused on Left and grinned excitedly. That told Marcellus all he needed to know. The older male ruefully closed his eyes. _“Sorry, Left. Walena’s making it really hard for us.”_  
  
Tsuji switched off the Enchanted Eyes and then Mode Changed into Crossbow Form. He chucked the boomerang-like blade, watching as Left easily avoided it. Timing himself right, Tsuji dropped down and swung his leg, sweeping up Left’s feet from beneath him. As the blade made its return trip, Tsuji used that same leg to put Left’s Achilles’ tendon in the way.  
  
It was a clean hit.  
  
_“One down!”_ Tsuji thought triumphantly as Left crumpled on the floor by him. He was torn from his moment of pride when Walena’s whip cracked against his chest. He released a strident yell, writhing as Walena kept up her assault. His skin, despite the layers of clothing, burned with pain.  
  
“That’s right,” Walena taunted, “Dance for me!”  
  
Marcellus saw Portis heading over. A big hit from him on the defenseless Tsuji spelled trouble. It was time to exploit something else. “Tsuji, go for Walena! Hurry!”  
  
Tsuji reflexively reached out and grabbed the whip, though he was pretty sure that left a whelp. Then, he threw the blade from its stock. Like clockwork, Portis redirected his attention to Walena. As soon as he did, Marcellus cued, “ _Now_! Hit him _now_!”  
  
Portis knocked the buzzsaw back to Tsuji, who caught it in the stock. As he rotated in his spot, Crossbow Form became Default Form, and he fired. The first one lodged itself right in Portis’s shoulder, blood spurting from the spot. A splat of blood managed to mar Walena’s cheek as her eyes widened in shock. Once several more arrows hit Portis, the don collapsed.  
  
There was nothing left between her and Tsuji.  
  
His eyes narrowed, full of contempt, as he activated the Enchanted Eyes. His Demonic Wavelength flared around him like an inferno as he crouched down, preparing to sprint. Before Walena even tried to run away, he charged, roaring with effort at the top of his lungs like a man possessed.  
  
It was like she was staring down the devil himself.  
  
He performed a jumping roundhouse kick, leg burning with hellfire, and landed a direct hit right in Walena’s face. “ORLOK’S WRATH!”  
  
The windows in the foyer shattered, the doors flew off their hinges, the floor and walls cracked from the force, and the throne broke apart on impact from the explosive hellfire. All Laos retreated into the shadows and returned to whence they came, and the additional lights blew out like a candle.  
  
Tsuji collapsed to the ground, having expended all of his energy. Marcellus reverted to his human state, kneeling beside his fallen partner. He could see the outside thanks to the gaping hole Orlok’s Wrath made. Some Chicago Gang members lied unconscious, masks falling off their faces. Yet, Walena was nowhere to be found.  
  
“If she isn’t dead, she’s long gone now,” Marcellus remarked. He sighed in relief. The nightmare was over. He then heard Tsuji mumble a string of monosyllabic grunts. “Um, what’d you say?”  
  
Tsuji turned his head. “Your dad’s… over there.”  
  
Eyes going wide, Marcellus rose to his feet and looked to see the Anria mask slip off Portis. The African-American rushed over and kneeled by him. “Dad! Can you hear me? Say something!”  
  
The former don coughed weakly. His body still showed the effects of the mask, and his injuries were fatal from the prolonged fight. “I-I’m… here…”  
  
Knowing there wasn’t much time left, Marcellus went straight to the point. “L-Look, Dad, I’m sorry. I gave you and Mom the cold shoulder when you guys were genuinely trying to make amends. And it took this crazy day to make me see it.”  
  
“A-And… I’m sorry it even… came to this.” Portis coughed more violently, blood coming out. Marcellus scooted closer and propped his father’s head up, trying to make his last moments more comfortable. Portis looked at him with glassy eyes. “Marcellus, my dear son… G-Go back… Don’t associate… with gangs anymore. Be what you want to be… Be happy, live a great life with no regrets… make friends, fall in love…”  
  
Marcellus took Portis’s hand. It was cold as ice. “Definitely.”  
  
“I… love you.”  
  
“I love you too.” Marcellus smiled sadly. “Tell Mom the same thing.”  
  
Glad to have finally reconciled their differences, Portis passed on with a smile, ready to see his wife once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thus brings Marcellus’s (and Tsuji’s) character arc to a close. This fight was actually longer, and so far has the dubious honor of being the most edited chapter after initial proofreading. The last phase had Left pulling out a trump card (for those curious: Enchanted Eyes + Soul Resonance), but that’s something I’ll save for later with Tsuji/Marcellus and Shannon/Audrey. Because of that, you didn’t get to see Left’s Enchanted Eyes theme, which was lycanthropy (you know, werewolves?).
> 
> But, alas, the fight in Chicago isn’t over yet. We still have to check on the Tezca’s squad, see the arrival of the main group, and see how the heck are the heroes gonna stop Project Omega this time. The next chapter will feature a fight I’ve personally been waiting to write for some time.
> 
> Maka vs. Cancer


	46. A First-Hand Experience

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Academy and law enforcement are slowly inching toward victory. Now, it is time to take on the biggest threats in the city of Chicago, Cancer Lucrenian and Project Omega.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story

  
**A First-Hand Experience**

The Other Side Gang did all they could to keep the S.W.A.T. Team from entering. Their barricades were closed off to the world, they made every threat in the book, and some desperately shouted ultimatums. But it became obvious to them the S.W.A.Ts weren’t leaving without their heads.

And, soon enough, they broke through.

A checkpoint blew open and S.W.A.T. vehicles rolled right in. The Other Side gangsters either ran for their lives or shot indiscriminately like people with nothing else to live for.

“Form a parameter!” a commander barked into a two-way as he drove his armored vehicle. “This whole territory should be surrounded on all sides! Show them home-field advantage means nothing to us!”

Within minutes, the S.W.A.T. Team filled the whole of the stronghold. Once that was done, soldiers rushed from inside their vehicles, taking cover and returning enemy fire. Better equipped and better trained, they started pushing them back in no time.

“All right, precinct, bring ‘em in so the arrests can start,” the same commander said. Then, he yelled to the back of his vehicle, “That’s your cue, DWMA! Let’s see what you got!”

The doors flew open as Enrique and Marvin ran out, releasing loud battle cries. “And thus we strike, silent and deadly!” Spotting several gangsters, Marvin stabbed the ground with his ice spear, coating it in a sheet of ice. The gangsters’ legs were frozen in place. Trapped, yes; helpless, no. They whipped out their guns and took aim. Marvin quickly repeated the motion, erecting a thick ice wall to take cover behind right as the firing began.

“Enrique will take it from here, Marvin!” Shrieking like the primate he was, Enrique swooped amid the immobilized shooters, striking them with kicks to the faces and knocking their firearms out from their grips.

Meanwhile, Il Sung casually approached a barrack where gangsters engaged in a firefight with S.W.A.Ts. “M-Master Il Sung!” Eun Ae cried out from within her weapon form, “Y-You’re walking straight into it!”

“I am aware of that,” he replied unconcernedly. As the light of the full moon reflected off his glasses, his eyes matched its color. On the darkened battlefield, luminescent lines dotted it at various points, all going in different arcs. Seconds later, the barracks were sliced open, the gangsters were subdued, and the S.W.A.Ts ceased return fire at the sight. Il Sung stood at the opposite end, still in his same upright position. “Barely worth my time.”

Before she filed out, Meredith took out two hairsticks, drew up her hair with the same hand, and pinned it with the hairsticks in seconds flat. She then noticed Klemens standing in the back looking like a deer in headlights. His grip around his claymore was loose and shaky. As someone who knew a lot about combat, she also knew of the more negative aspects of it. “Is this your first time on a mission like this?”

Klemens flinched at her voice and managed to give her a confirmatory nod. “Honestly, yes. I’m… nervous.”

Meredith closed one of the bidirectional doors to hide Klemens in the vehicle. “Then stay back and only intervene when necessary. Don’t let inexperience get you hurt.”

Luther chuckled humorlessly. “Though, I wonder why you’re even here in the first place.”

A fierce growled escaped Madeline, her reflection appearing on her weapon form, her glare boring into Luther. “Because Klemens deserves to be here. He’s just got cold feet, that’s all. We’ll be outta here in no time.”

Luther chuckled some more. “Oh my. A go-getter paired with a rookie. That’s just laughable.”

Meredith rolled her eyes, wrapping the chain around one of her arms. “Oh, stop, Luther. You know were like that once.” She giggled lightly when her brother gasped and growled defensively. “I think it’s nice to have a healthy enthusiasm to perform your duty.”

The Demon Chain rolled his eyes as well. “Oh, dear sister, I love you dearly, but you can be so naïve sometimes.”

Finally, the Olmett exited the vehicle, quickly identifying where she was needed the most. A squadron surrounded a building, taking cover from the frontline gangsters trying to keep them at bay and whatever inside safe. “There.” Meredith adopted a track runner’s stance as Luther snaked around her face, forming a makeshift helmet to protect her from stray bullets for her next attack.

“Soul Fist, go!” Her soul wavelength exploded out of her, taking the shape of trumpeting mastodon. She sprinted forward at a rapid pace, her aura stampeding in unison, tearing through the concrete. Seeing that, the S.W.A.Ts got out of the way while gangsters directed fire to her. The Soul Fist aura was strong enough to stop the bullets. Rearing her fist back, Meredith threw a punch right as she crashed into the frontline. Strengthened by Soul Fist, she destroyed the face of the building in an instant and threw gangsters about.

Taking everything in stride, the S.W.A.T Team moved into the defaced building, picking off enemy stragglers hiding out in there.

Little by little, every square inch of the Other Side Gang’s stronghold was taken over by the combined might of the S.W.A.T Team and the DWMA. Soon, Chicago PD filed in to make arrests of the subjugated gangsters.

A police officer closed the back doors of a patrol wagon, signaling another filled to capacity with gang members. “Finally. We can put these criminals to justice. Today marks the end of the OGs.”

“So you think.”

A rag of chloroform was pressed into the officer’s face. One whiff and he was unconscious. Kujira caught the man before he hit the ground and procured the keys he used to lock the van up. She then dragged him to a different location and emerged couple minutes later wearing his uniform to disguise herself. She also wore one of the S.W.A.T. helmets so her face couldn’t be immediately identified. With a sigh, she retightened the gauze and tape used to dress up her IV wound. “This stuff is so scratchy.”

She went back to the van and opened it up, removing her helmet to show her fellow gangsters it was her. They cheered, but Kujira quickly silenced them. “We ain’t out of the woods yet, so chill out, guys. I’m taking you guys to a much safer place.” She used the same keys to unlock their handcuffs. Right when they all were about to run out, she blocked the way. “Just stay in here. Trust me!”

Ignoring their clamor and questioning cries, Kujira exited the police van. With a snap of her fingers, water from a canteen attached to her belt rushed out and swirled around the vehicle. When it dispersed, the van was gone. “That’ll take ‘em to Bermuda.”

Kujira blended into the crowd, seeking out other patrol wagons containing her fellow gangsters. The process was simple: sneak up, knock out the cops in charge of a wagon, free her underlings, and send them to Bermuda with her Water Magic.

Once everything was settled to the point common police officers could handle the rest, Enrique and Tezca met up with Marvin, Il Sung, and Meredith. The commander also walked over when asked to by the Demon Mirror. The masked man glanced to the horizon as he addressed his group, “We’re getting requests for backup where Stein and Noel are.”

The commander listened to transmission as dispatch announced something. “What a coincidence. We’re getting distress signals and emergency broadcasts from there too. We should let the police department clean up here.”

“It’s good to know our job ain’t done yet,” Andy piped in, “That was so easy it was almost boring.”

Il Sung stood there with closed eyes and crossed arms. “For once, we are in agreement.”

Sensing the atmosphere become less tense, Klemens stepped out of the armored vehicle, having decided to sit out and observe from a distance to get a better feel of higher-caliber missions. Even without direct participation, his nerves were shot – the result of an average guy put into an abnormal situation. “How did Mom and Dad deal with this?” Klemens mumbled to himself. He came to the Academy to fulfill a sense of obligation after finding out for the first time in years his parents were alumni. After just two hardcore transpirations, Klemens quickly realized it wasn’t as glitzy or glamorous as they said.

“Maaaan, I was hoping to sink my blades to some punks,” Madeline said in a whiny tone, “Oh, well. Guess there’s always next time.”

Klemens sighed again, shaking his head. “How do you do this?”

“How?” Madeline’s reflection appeared on the claymore, quirking a brow. “I listen to my heart. A famous person once said, ‘don’t think, feel.’ It helps you get through times of uncertainty. Ya dig?” Before Klemens took a moment to reflect on her words, she spotted Kujira incapacitating another police officer with the chloroform. “HEY!” Kujira froze up, cursing herself for getting located. “Klemens, get that bugger!”

As he was the closest one around, Klemens nervously swallowed the lump inside his throat and started running to the stray. “Madeline, Empty Sky—”

Kujira whipped around and threw a shiv she produced from her sleeve. It landed square in Klemens’s right shoulder. The Danish Meister was introduced to a new form of pain he never experienced his whole life. It was cruel payment for him acting on his common human decency, his innate sense of heroism. He dropped his claymore and collapsed on his knee, instinctively placing a hand near the wound. Blood stained his outfit and his hand. _“I-It hurts._

Meredith heard his cry of pain and the sound of metal piercing flesh, looking to see the Claymore Meister. “Nielsen!”

Cover blown, Kujira abandoned all sense of subtlety as water roared around the armored van. This last one meant she saved roughly 30% of the Other Side Gang. Better than nothing but definitely not enough to curb Soriano’s ire. “HALT!” With a squeak, Kujira instantly dove into the water dome right as the guns went off.

“Enrique, after her!” Tezca ordered, transforming and wrapping himself around the primate’s leg. “You guys help Stein and Ricardsen! We got this!” Enrique dove right into the water and landed presumably on the ground. He and Tezca were surrounded by a deep blue water whirlpool. In front of them were Kujira and the stolen patrol wagon. She snarled upon seeing them. Tezca chuckled, knowing their presence in her spell probably foiled her escape plan. “So one slipped through the creaks, eh?”

“I’ll ask you to leave one time,” Kujira demanded, “All you have to do is jump through where you came from.”

“No can do. You’re one of the three Witches that was identified in the past week. Gotta apprehend you,” Tezca replied, his face shining on the surface of his mirror form. “Life and death are bestowed equally on everyone. I'm a mirror that reflects people. The death you ultimately face is entirely up to you."

She smiled. Anyone who knew her was aware she smiled almost all the time. It was the best way to deal with any situation because a smile could mean many different things. It’s how she approached many situations and today was no exception. “I die on my own terms, and I die hard. That’s Kujira Marshall’s creed.”

“I’m afraid we can’t let you do what you want. Come quietly or else Enrique here won’t have to get rough with you,” Tezca said simply.

Kujira rolled her eyes. “Oh, please, what’s a monkey gonna do to me?”

The minute she finished her sentence, Enrique slingshotted himself and hit her in her mouth with his knee. Kujira was blown back into the police van. Her vision swam, reminding her she was fighting hours after major optic surgery. _“Oh. So that’s what a monkey can do.”_ Summoning the willpower to stand, Kujira watched as Enrique assumed a muay thai stance. “Okay, chimp, I’ll give you that one.”

Tezca guffawed. “Enrique got you good there, didn’t he? Well, you ain’t seen nothing yet, man!”

Kujira drew shivs between the gaps of her fingers and threw them at the Mirror Meister, who cartwheeled out of the way, using his compact size and simian body to his advantage. Enrique flung himself at Kujira once again, but she brought out a shiv from her sleeve and jabbed it forward. It and the mirror attached to Enrique’s leg clashed.

Kujira’s smile widened as she waved her hand. A stream of water from the whirlpool surrounding them shot out and hit Enrique, knocking the screeching primate away. Tezca sighed in disappointment like someone robbed of watching a good TV show. “Well, that was cheap.”

“On the contrary,” Kujira swapped out her shivs for a pair of handguns, “ _This_ is!” She fired round after round, prompting Enrique to duck for cover behind the patrol wagon. Gritting her teeth, Kujira ran up and jumped on top of the vehicle. Once the other side was in view, she aimed her guns, only to see Enrique wasn’t there. “Huh? Where’d he—?”

“Surprise!” Tezca shouted as Enrique howled, leaping from her blindside and wrapping his tail around her neck. Airways suddenly restricted, Kujira dropped her handguns. The Mirror Meister then used his primate strength to throw the six-foot tall woman. The Other Side gangster cried out when her side hit the ground hard.

“Not used to good-fashioned throw-downs, huh?” Tezca taunted, laughing jubilantly as if he and she were good friends sparring. The witch snarled, rolled over to snatch up the shivs stuck to the ground near her, and then got up to charge at Enrique. The monkey reassumed his fighting stance, making a faux Kung-Fu noise. Kujira threw a shiv to move him and then closed the gap. Kujira's weapon slipped past his defenses and slashed toward his throat. Enrique dodged as Tezca laughed as if having a marvelous time. He praised loudly, "A wonderful strategy."

To gain some distance, seeing as Enrique was dangerous up close, Kujira flipped out of the way while throwing some shivs. Enrique used the leg carrying the mirror block them like a shield. She took the time to retrieve her more of them. _“I wonder if I can get my guns.”_ The second she inched toward the patrol wagon, Enrique flung himself at her. _“That’s a no.”_

The Lucrenian threw a punch, hitting the flying monkey dead in the stomach. “That’s animal abuse,” Tezca quipped. Enrique held on to Kujira’s hand. When the gang member jabbed with her free hand, Enrique used her body like a tree in his home jungle to avoid the shiv. "Excellent. Excellent,” Tezca complimented as his meister jumped away, “I don’t see many Witches fight like this. I guess that’s just peer influence?"

Kujira blinked as if coming out of a daze but continued to go for blood.

Enrique laughed and Tezca spouted praise for almost a minute before the Lucrenian’s attack began to ease in its faster pace. After some time, Kujira lunged at Enrique, each hand carrying a shiv, and tried to stab him with both. He knocked her arms with away at the wrists and performed a jump kick to her face. One whole side of her face flared up with pain, and her head swan once more. Groaning, Kujira dizzily staggered back before collapsing on the ground. Meanwhile, the water whirlpool started to wane, Kujira’s concentration drifting.

Enrique let out a series of noises, smiling slightly. Tezca exploded with laughter. “S-Stop, Enrique! That ain’t how you’re s-supposed to talk to a lady!”

Coming back to reality, Kujira didn’t even want to know what Enrique said. “You smartass little—“

“I know you are, but what am I?” Tezca retorted like a child in an argument at the playground.

Kujira deadpanned. _“This guy is having too much fun.”_ Angry and confused chattering could be heard from inside the patrol wagon, followed by pounding against the walls. The trapped gangsters were growing impatient, Kujira realized, and she needed to resume her transportation spell as soon as possible. _“I gotta blow these assholes out of the water… So to speak.”_

It was all or nothing time. She risked a gamble trying to perform an advanced spell out of the blue in her condition, but she was out of options. Her eye glowed as she stretched out both arms, the water dome stirring. "Whalar cetacea whalaram cetadar!" Streams of deep blue, glowing water flowed to Kujira, wrapping around her arms. “Potidaea!” She clapped her hands with the boom of a thunderclap, and the massive currents spiraled to Enrique. The mass took the shape of a whale, mouth wide and releasing a cry.

Enrique crouched down, preparing to dodge, but then noticed something amiss. The monkey remained in his spot, watching as Potidaea harmlessly flew over him. The whale veered around and headed back to its caster as if she was the true target. Kujira’s visible eye shrunk to the size of a dime. “W-Wait, wait! _No no no no no no no_ —”

Potidaea crashed into Kujira. The water dome shook and contorted, thinning out to reveal the outside world.  Tezca’s face appeared on his mirror form while Enrique deadpanned. “Well, that was anticlimactic.” The water disappeared, and the two found themselves back in the Other Side Gang stronghold. Enrqiue chattered, jumping up and down, noticing the patrol wagon and Kujira were gone. “Yeah. Enrique. To have the presence of mind to use the explosion to disguise her escape despite screwing up.”

The Death Scythe reverted to a human form. He glanced around. Everything was stable, the remaining OGs rounded up and arrested. The S.W.A.T Team and his group of students were gone, presumably going to the Chicago Gang territory. “Time to play some catchup.” Tezca fished out his cellphone and dialed a number. “Hey, Buttataki? We’re gonna need a ride.”

* * *

_Month 3, Week 2, Day 2 (Tuesday, March 10th)_

The clock struck midnight, but the night seemed to go on forever. Cancer’s crabs scoured the territory, seeking out everyone within. Their objective was to search and destroy, and that meant no corner was left unchecked and no building undamaged. Members of the Chicago Gang ran around aimlessly. No matter where they went, a giant crab with razor-sharp pincers found them, and Project Omega continued its rampage even with Stein and Noel occupying it. Slowly but surely, the territory was being painted in blood and debris.

Several gangsters screamed in terror as three crabs forced their way into their hiding spot, the metal and concrete groaning it was torn asunder. Those armed whipped out their firearms and held down their triggers, firing with reckless abandon. The crabs backed away to avoid being hit in the eyes, but when they heard the telltale clicks of an empty magazine, they went right back to bulldozing through the building, fiercer than ever.

The screaming ceased within seconds, and the crabs crawled out, tossing away whatever corpse was stuck to their pincers.

“Wow. Those guys will make one heck of a seafood dinner.”

The trio of crabs turned to the source of the voice, seeing Maka and the others standing there ready to rumble. Like everyone else involved, they wore body armor beneath their normal and cold-weather clothing. Ragnarok, the one who spoke the taunt, licked his lips, eager to feast. “Come on, let’s go cut these things down to size!”

Once the crabs charged, Crona held up Ragnarok. “Scream Resonance.” The lips on the sword screeched out a soul wavelength in the form of a sound wave, halting the crabs’ advance.

Kilik immediately hatched an idea. “Yo, Kid, I’m gonna need Liz and Patty.” He then looked at Kim and nodded a cue. “It’s time for Extreme Element Effect.”

Kid heard the sound of an approaching stampede. It was either incoming reinforcements or the true enemy. “Then you better do it fast.”

Quickly, Kilik and Kim performed a Chain Resonance to synch with each other. Then, Kilik’s arms were engulfed with fire and lightning, acting as portals for both Fire and Thunder to emerge from in their Adult Forms. Kid tossed his pistols behind him, the aged-up twins catching one each as Kim stood back-to-back with Kilik. “Crona, that’s enough! Get back!” The African-Dominican Meister shouted. The pinkette nodded and stood back. Once the twins took aim, they pulled the trigger, each discharging a large beam. Kim fired her lantern at the ground, countering the recoil from E3. The beams met at the trio of giant crabs, engulfing them in a massive explosion that blew open a chasm in the street  

“That ought to do it,” Kim declared as the twins returned Liz and Patty to Kid. She and Kilik broke the Chain Resonance, reverting everything back to normal.

Rowena saw more giant crabs tearing through the wreckage to get to them. She faced them and started walking towards them. “Rowena Ricardsen is in the house, here to kick ass and takes names. Whoever wants to die stay up cuz we’re about to bring you evildoers to justice in the name of Lord Death.”

Inside her weapon form dimension, Nayumi hopped up and down. “Ready to try out our new toys?”

“Oh, yeah. Mode Change: Bardiche!”

After the initial Soul Resonance, the hammerhead bent parallel to the shaft, icy blue energy flowing out and coating it. Rowena drove the modified weapon into the ground, flash-freezing the area in front of her. The crabs either slipped up on the ice or got their legs frozen. "Another one!" She ended the Mode Change to initiate a different one. Flipping it over and putting one foot on it, the hammerhead split open at the base as electricity coated it. "Lucerne!" The converted hammerhead unleashed a lightning bolt to propel it forward with Rowena still on it. Once close enough to the trapped crab, she grabbed it from underneath and drove it straight into the crab's facing, shocking and stunning it.

Backing Rowena up, Caius slid onto the ice. "I'll be using this." Skating forward, he approached the nearest crab and wreathed his lance's blade in fire. He swung hard during a spin and then proceeded to skate circles around the crab, attacking with his flaming lance in flourishes.

As Caius continued his assault, Claudia caught the other crab crawling over. "Head's up, Caius."

Driving his weapon's blunt end into the ice to stop himself, the Lance Meister indeed saw pincers heading toward him. "As if you threaten me." Using the lance as an anchor point, Caius flipped himself into the air. He rotated end over end, cloaking himself in fire, and struck the crab as a flaming, human buzzsaw. He landed on the other hand, skating away before coming to an abrupt halt. "Perfect ten." He was proud of himself. It was a fighting style perfected as a Half Moon student crafted from patches of memories: Amagai’s, his father, use of strength and power; Remus’s, his brother, polearm mastery; Phyllis’s, his oldest sister, emphasis on dancelike grace; and Katrina’s, his aunt, use of precision.

The crabs made no noise, instead shaking off their wounds and slowly turning to face their opposition. "It's not a perfect ten if you don't kill 'em, Caius!" In a flash, the two crabs were slashed in half. Blackstar skidded right beside Caius. "Like so."

Caius chuckled. "All right, fine. I'll give you that one."

Tsubaki giggled. “This is an interesting setup. The knight and the ninja.”

Caius refrained from making an expression, hearing Claudia snicker. “Tsubaki, please don’t call me a knight. I’m everything but.”

“Dang, Caius, why can’t you act like this all the time?” Rowena asked, teasingly referring to their conversation in front of the library.

“ _This is totally different_!” A defensive Caius shouted back.

Ox's and Kid's efforts led them to the outer streets parallel to the Port of Chicago. The wider space gave them more mobility, but such benefited the crabs too. Kid kept his distance, firing round after round, but the crab's exoskeleton was sturdy enough. The crab dug its claw into the ground and fissured the street with a swipe, forcing Kid to roll away. The crab used this opportunity to throw its body weight in Kid’s direction, knocking the Reaper over the rail and into the port.

“Kid!” Ox and Harvar shouted, seeing the crab head into the water. The Spear Meister dove straight in without hesitance, aware his opponent followed him in. Before he swam over to Kid, who struggling in enemy domain, his crab grabbed him. Keeping control of his breath, Ox whipped around and stabbed it in the eye with his spear, forcing it to let go.

Free again, Ox swam over to the crab harassing Kid and climbed on its back. It bucked, feeling him, but Ox kept his wits about him. The minute he saw an eye, he swung Harvar and took it out. _“That’s both of them.”_ Ox went over to Kid, wrapped his available arm around him, and started swimming to the surface. The two boys welcomed to the air, especially Kid, who started coughing.

Ox grinned proudly. “I bet you didn’t think the Royal Thunder Commander reigned underwater too!”

“Y-Yeah,” Kid paused to catch his breath, “Thanks.” He repaid his debt by getting himself and Ox back to dry land. The crabs resurfaced and tried to pursue them. Expecting that, Ox shot lightning into the port, shocking them instantly. “Excellent work, Ox.”

Seconds later, several species of fish appeared, dead. Kid and Ox tensed up. Patty laughed mockingly. "Great job, Ox, you made them go belly-up."

When it seemed like no more crabs were coming, the crew regrouped, still on their guards. Kilik punched his gauntlets together. “I’m all fired up now! All right, so where’s the thing we’re supposed to beat?”

Two large hands gripped the roofs of buildings. Like parting curtains, they were thrown aside to reveal Project Omega. Its red eye locked on to the students, all of them instantly stopping what they were doing to gawk at the monstrosity.

“There it is, Kilik,” the Pot Twins said in unison.

"O-Oh my God, look at that thing!" Liz screamed, shaking like a leaf.

"Oh, get real." Blackstar stepped forward, rolling his neck to loosen it up. "We've fought bigger and badder things before. This is just something else to add to the list." While some thought Blackstar was being himself, a few others agreed with the sentiment. In fact, such words gave them the boldness necessary to topple a beast like Project Omega's Second Form.

Stein landed on the street, using Death Scythe's edge as a brake. A manic smile formed on his face as he casted a longing gaze to Project Omega. "Ever since I heard what you really were, I've been wanting to dissect you for the longest." The mad doctor charged, searching for the nearest platform to give him a higher vantage point to attack the giant entity.

Noel, meanwhile, distracted Project Omega tossing a spire like a javelin. Project Omega saw it coming and flicked it away. The Demon Shield sighed. "I'm going to need a bigger building to throw."

Kid summoned Beelzebub and hopped on, flying ahead. "Come on, guys, we have to assist them!"

Unlike everyone else following his lead, Crona and Rowena stood rooted in their spots. Crona became doe-eyed, lips loose, and teeth bared. The meister swayed where it stood, focus drifting in and out like under some spell. Rowena, meanwhile, gripped her head, gritting her teeth as something tugged at her mind, her body twitching.

"Hey, you two! What are you doing?!"

The two meisters snapped out of their trance thanks to Nayumi. "N-Nothing!" Shaking it off, they ran off to join everybody in the ensuing battle.  

Maka noticed something scurrying across her peripheral vision. Facing the direction, she saw something very small heading into an alleyway. Figuring her friends could handle the immediate threat, she quickly went to check it out.

“Maka? What are you doing?” Soul questioned.

“There’s something over here,” she answered. Reaching the alleyway, she then heard something tapping repeatedly against metal. Following the source, she noticed a small creature crawling up a pipeline. Cautiously, Maka approached it.

She examined the unsuspecting Surveillance Crab. It faced the direction of Project Omega, capturing its every move and every reaction to the fight. _"Well, if it's with that thing, then it can't be good."_ Taking up her scythe, Maka impaled the crab with the tip of the blade. The camera within its body was crushed and, once she removed force, it fell lifelessly to the ground. She then heard rapid scuttling and turned to see another Surveillance Crab running away. _"Oh, no you don't!"_ Maka gave chase, quickly catching up to the diminutive creature and smashing it with the broadside of her scythe. She heard even more and took cover. She watched two more Surveillance Crabs come over and check on their dead pal. They waved their claws frantically, exchanging looks between each other and Project Omega, trying to figure out what to do. That's when Maka jumped out and crushed them beneath her boots. "Got 'em." She gave the area a quick once-over to check if any more were about. "Looks like that's it."

"Any clue who they might've belonged to?" Soul asked, his reflection looking at his meister.

Maka looked at the dead Surveillance Crabs and back to Project Omega. _"Black crabs... A thing that looks part-machine, part-... thing. Eye that looks like a glowing LED..."_ Her large brain worked to connect the dots. The rampaging creature looked familiar. In fact, it reminded her of the one in Venice.

Maka's eyebrows rose. _"Crabs! Cancer the crab of the Zodiac!"_ Realization gave way to anger as she gritted her teeth and tightened her grip around Soul. Before she voiced anything, she activated her Soul Perception to scan the area, and sure enough, she spotted an unmoving Witch Soul in the distance. "That witch from Venice is here."

"What? Are you serious?"

"As a heart attack. She's gotta be." Maka started running off in that direction. "I'm going where she is right now."

"So what's the plan?" Soul inquired, "We know next to nothing about her; what kind of magic she uses, her experience, nothing. Just the stuff we've heard in passing. Shouldn't we have someone back us up?"

"No time," Maka replied, going as fast as her legs allowed. She wasn't about to let this witch get away. Not this time. "It's up to us, Soul. The others have to fight that thing. We'll wing it, okay?"

Soul couldn't help but laugh. This was just like fighting Crona beneath the school and Medusa in Rachel's body. Maka was following her heart and not her head again.

Maka reached the spot where she detected Cancer, and sure enough, she saw her, sitting on the ledge of a rooftop watching Project Omega’s rampage like it was a play or movie. The Meister glanced around. There weren’t any flagpoles or laundry lines around she could use to slingshot herself up there. “The stairs it is.” She entered the building Cancer was on top of, located the stairwell, and began sprinting to the top.

When she finally made it to the door, Maka paused briefly so her legs could recover from their intense workout. Once ready, and hoping Cancer was still there, Maka slowly pushed open the door and saw Cancer on the other side with her back to her. Flexing her fingers around the handle her scythe, she proceeded onward with the quietness of an assassin.

_“I can do this. I’ve got one shot.”_ In one stroke, Maka could end this madness. The Scythe Meister continued quietly approaching Cancer. She was too busy watching Project Omega wreak havoc to notice her presence. Once close enough, Maka broke out into a sprint, building up momentum, and swung with all her might, Soul’s blade meeting the scarfed arm first.

The scythe stopped with a clang.

Maka’s and Soul’s eyes widened. That was _not_ flesh.

Alarmed, Cancer whipped to face her ambusher. Figuring she already got this far, Maka planted her foot and quickly continued her swing, hoping she had enough strength to cleave through the ‘arm.’ Cancer was lifted out of her spot before she could do anything and, when Maka finished the motions, was thrown to the neighboring building’s rooftop.

Gritting her teeth, Cancer caught herself in midair. When she hit the rooftop, she skidded a couple feet backwards. When she came to complete stop, she straightened up and glared at Maka dead in her eyes, and she returned it – dark green battling with emerald green.

Maka rested her scythe on one shoulder. “We meet again.”

“Maka Albarn.” A hint of amusement ghosted Cancer’s tone of voice, or lack thereof. “To search for me amidst all this turmoil.”

Maka’s body shivered on its own, not from the cool breeze and certainly not from fear. Everything about Cancer – from her voice, her eyes, everything – was rife with the chill of emptiness. “Don’t get the wrong idea. You’re the cause behind this after all.”

“Well, you would be wise to take your leave. I am busy right now.”

Maka narrowed her eyes. “I don’t take orders from the likes of you. Now answer me, what are you doing here?”

She ignored her, instead glimpsing to Project Omega trampling another building by accident. Maka gritted her teeth and leapt over the edge with her scythe above head. Eyes never leaving Maka, Cancer grabbed the scarves around her left arm and pulled them off. Maka slammed her scythe down but was stopped cold, hearing the same metallic clang from before.

Soul’s blade was wedged between a black and blue crab claw.

Maka held on tight as Cancer rotated a full circle before throwing her all the way back to the other rooftop. The Scythe Meister hooked her weapon on the ledge to stop herself, falling to her feet. She took a good look at the crab-claw arm. She traced the smooth carapace of the pincer, to the ring of pulsating muscles, and finally to the stitch-like scars connecting her flesh to the organic mass. While glad to learn something new about her opponent, Maka took a moment to withstand the bad taste brewing in her mouth. “Gross.”  

“Hey, Maka,” Soul whispered, “Doesn’t her arm look like smaller versions of those crab’s?”

“Yeah, it does,” Maka replied. That begged the question what happened to her normal arm. The meister noticed Cancer’s attention had drifted away from her yet again, instead focusing on Project Omega. Maka’s brow furrowed; this witch was adamant on observing her creation. She jumped down from the rooftop to the one Cancer was on.

Hearing her footsteps, Cancer tensed up, finding Albarn to be annoyingly stubborn. “Go elsewhere. My business is not with you.”

“I’m not leaving,” Maka declared, engaging in her battle stance once more, “The others can handle your little pet just fine. It’s you I’m worried about. Why are you here in a place this? And why’d you kill Caius’s family?”

“None of your business.” Cancer took note of the water tank close by. _“That could be of use if Albarn decides to push me too far.”_ Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Maka taking a few, careful steps toward her. Gritting her teeth, Cancer shot out of her spot and slashed at the water tank, cutting open the hull and allowing water to pour out.

"Coventina." With a rumble, the water surged around Cancer and became a giant wall of rushing water between her and Maka, stretching the width of the rooftop.

Though stopped cold, Maka persisted by pounding at the water barrier; it was like trying to tear down an iron wall. “You can’t get rid of me that easily! You have too much to answer for, damn you!”

Cancer pinched the bridge of her nose, raking her hand down her face afterwards. She thought it impossible one could try her patience so much. “If you really wish to hear why, fine. I killed the Vladinghams for one simple reason.” She locked eyes with Maka. “They were the ones behind the Lucrenian Clan Incident 223 years ago. I killed them for killing my clansmen.”

Maka’s eyes widened, mind trying to wrap around the information. “What? Why would they attack your clan?”

“That is an answer I long to know myself.”

Even without knowing what the Lucrenian Clan Incident entailed, Maka figured the Vladinghams attacked and killed the Lucrenians. That said, she had an inkling there was something Cancer omitted. “I’m not sure I should get behind your cause,” she said, unfazed when Cancer’s eyes glowed, “I’ve done my homework since I met Caius, and I found out his past family members are heroes. Upstanding Meisters and Weapons who earned their spot as one of the 5 Great Legacy Families.”

“Then you should conduct more extensive research, Albarn. In the past, Vladinghams were not as pleasant as they are made out today. Sure, they were war heroes, but because they attacked without mercy or regard. They made it a sport achieving victory in various ways. That may sound unbelievable to you, but the Vladinghams behind the Incident were barbarians, not heroes.”

Cancer held up her crab-claw arm, caressing it with her free hand. “In fact, the whole reason I have this is due to them. A Vladingham tore off my left arm, my dominant one, burned it to ashes, and left me to bleed out and die after murdering my mother before my very eyes. But, alas, the Vladinghams proved fighting those with weapons is an arduous task, so this makes it easier.”

Soul pursed his lips, reading the woman’s mannerisms and tone of voice. She was so matter-of-fact about this whole thing, he thought she was telling them this stuff for the sake of it. Regardless, Soul had his own personal gripes about her story. “Well, thanks for the history lesson. So why not go after the actual attackers? Why wait such a long time and then murder people who no longer had anything to do with that?”

Cancer’s gaze drifted to the dark sky, reminiscing. “I was nowhere near my level of strength as I was during the massacre. It took years upon years of onerous conditioning and training to turn myself into a combatant capable of ending a Legacy Family.” The smallest of smiles ghosted her face. To know all that hard work paid off was such a pleasure. The massacre to her was truly her greatest achievement in life. “They bear the surname so they also bear the guilt.”

Through the water wall, Maka saw that fleeting expression of faint euphoria, and her body trembled with anger. Anyone who found pleasure in taking someone’s life was a cruel, sick monster. “You’re just delusional. I know a few people who went through a lot of things and aren’t close to turning out like you.” Flashes of Crona and Stein in particular came through her mind.

Cancer’s expression reverted to its default emotionlessness. “Is that supposed to make me feel terrible? Good for them. What I do is done because I deem it necessary. Things like morality are just shackles. You may think I am unjustified in my actions, and I quite frankly do not care. I seek no one’s approval. And I never said the Lucrenian Clan Incident was the _only_ thing to happen me, but I believe I have said enough to a nobody like you. I owe you no story.”

At that moment, Project Omega fired a beam through several buildings, resulting in a string of earth-shaking explosions. Screams of people were heard in the distance. Maka wasn’t sure if they were from her comrades or other defense forces, but that didn’t change the fact the only person who could call off this madness was right in front of her. “You’re going to pay for this! Lord Death has put out an Execution Order for you, Cancer Lucrenian, and as his soldier, I intend to follow through with it. I hope you’re ready. Your soul is mine!”

Cancer released a prolonged sigh. “And this is why I refused to talk. You are but a mere child. You have neither the experience nor the mindset to understand the world at a deeper level.” She crouched down and proceeded to sit at the ledge like before to resume her observation. “Well, you wanted answers, and you received some. Now begone; I grow tired of your presence.”

Maka stood there for a solid few seconds, staring at the woman beyond the water wall. Slowly, she raised Soul above her head and span him several times, picking up speed. Soul recognized the gesture; it was go time. Maka suddenly gripped the scythe, stopping its rotations as the two linked souls. “Let’s go, Soul Res—”

A ‘beam’ of water shot out of Coventina and struck Maka, sending the girl into the waiting window in the neighboring, taller building. She screamed as she was driven through the glass, and her body helplessly tumbled through the desks, chairs, and whatnot. Colliding with the wall, she finally came to a stop.

“What the heck was _that_?!” Soul shouted, thankful Maka kept her grip on him throughout that.

Maka gritted her teeth. “Tch. So that’s her game, huh?” The lesson she took from Noel was learn your opponent through battle as quickly as possible. Now Maka knew she needed to be a bit more cautious. Spotting the exit in the office, the Scythe Meister rushed out and eventually made it back to the rooftop.

Having nothing better to do than study her opponent, Maka focused on Cancer. She appeared unaware of her return. Either that or Maka herself was a nuisance she refused to let distract her. _“Well, if that’s how it’s going to be...”_ She backed up to give herself some space for a running start. Then, she took off, leaping high into the air. “Soul!”

“Right!”

The two resonated, exerting themselves more to get it done quicker. Soul's blade glowed brightly and morphed into a giant ax of sorts. Heading straight to the part of Coventina that separated her and Cancer, Maka swung her transformed weapon down, cutting through the water. The noise immediately drew Cancer's attention as she looked to see a giant blade coming right at her. The witch reflexively jumped out of the way as Majin Hunter slammed down on the surface, spewing rubble and water out on impact. “Majin Hunter: Letter I!”

Cancer landed on top of the water tank and waved her arm, a stream of water following the motion. Seeing it coming, Maka slammed Majin Hunter on the surface, disrupting the wave, and then sprinted at Cancer. The crab witch narrowed her eyes and summoned several needles from the water around her. The very sight forced Maka to hit the brakes, just in time as the needles came speeding toward her. With Soul aiding her, the Scythe Meister spun Majin Hunter, slicing the needles before they could come into contact with her.

Cancer jumped down from the water tank as water swirled around her. “You just do not know when to quit, do you?”

Maka hitched her scythe on her shoulder, Majin Hunter glowing behind her like a halo. “Never. You’ll have to kill me.” Her intention was to draw Cancer’s attention away from Project Omega since she seemed so adamant on observing it. If she had to risk her life pushing her buttons, then so be it. It was her duty as Lord Death’s soldier.

“That,” Cancer paused as water rose and dispersed around her, revealing an array of needles at the ready, “can easily be arranged.”

The needles were fired, forcing Maka to backpedal to avoid being skewered by them. Cancer summoned more needles from the water around her via Conversion Magic and continue the pressure. “Careful, Maka,” Soul warned as Maka continued dodging and destroying the needles with Majin Hunter, “I see where she’s aiming with those things. If she’s not trying to get your throat, heart, or head, she’s at least trying to pump you full of them.”

“Thanks, Soul, I’ll keep that in mind!” Maka replied, impressed at Soul’s attentiveness. Suddenly, the needles stopped coming, and a wave thundered toward her. Maka steadied herself, preparing to destroy it in one stroke, but the wave collapsed, allowing the rushing water to instead sweep her away. “Shoot!” The wave rose again, carried her, and then slammed her hard on the rooftop, Maka screaming her as pain racked her small body.

Cancer held up her hand toward them, the palm facing upward. "Argyros." Clenching her hand, a whole dome of needles surrounded Maka, primed and ready to shred her to bloody bits.

"There's no way out, Maka!" Soul shouted. Everyone where he looked, there was a sector of needles, their sharp points aimed directly at them.

Instead of focusing on that, Maka attempted to sync wavelengths with him. "Witch Hunter, hurry!" By the time Soul got his act together and they resonated, the storm of needles flew. Several grazed her, cutting through the body armor and drawing blood. Withstanding it, she produced Witch Hunter and span around. All of the remaining needles and water were drawn into the transformed scythe as her rotations continued, the light growing brighter and brighter.

“Kamaitachi!” The gathered energy was released as an omnidirectional wave, spewing rubble, water, and clouds of dirt as it tore through the rooftop. With nowhere to dodge, Cancer was hit hard and blown backwards. Keeping her wits about her, Cancer clawed the surface to stop herself, but the force took her off the rooftop. Producing a needle, Cancer stabbed into the structure to prevent herself from falling.

The wind picking up, Cancer hung on. That Kamaitachi was unexpectedly powerful, but no matter; it was nothing she couldn’t handle. As soon as she looked up, Cancer witnessed Maka jumping off the roof, stabbing her back-to-normal scythe into the ledge for leverage, and swinging her feet right into her. Cancer herself made no noise as she sent crashing into the waiting window and room.

Lying in the middle of the broken glass, Cancer felt blood running down her face. She looked at her normal arm and noticed it too was streaked with crimson, likely from Kamaitachi. “Hmph.” The woman rose to her feet as Maka dove into the room.

“Done not taking me seriously yet?!” Maka shouted as she charged. When close enough, she swung, but Cancer blocked it with her crab-claw arm. Maka kept attacking, making sure Cancer couldn’t retaliate with kicks, punches, or a spell. The witch knocked away a swing, using the brief chance to jump back, landing on a desktop. Gritting her teeth, Maka pursued her and swung downward. Cancer calmly flipped out of the way, causing Maka to cleave the desk in half. Hearing her land behind her, the Scythe Meister swung around and did three consecutive slashes. Expecting that, Cancer blocked two but was cut across her ribs on the third.

Emboldened by the successful hit, Maka attempted another downward swing. When Cancer avoided it, Maka used it as an anchor point to lift herself up and drop kick Cancer in the face. Seeing her dazed, Maka landed and went for a straight punch, but Cancer regained her composure and caught the punch with her hand. Maka hissed as the witch proceeded to twist her arm. Fearing she’d tear it off, Maka quickly swung her scythe with her free hand, forcing Cancer to let go and flip away to avoid beheading.

In that moment, out of the corner of her eyes, Cancer noticed a water fountain at the other end. _“Perfect.”_ The Lucrenian sprinted to it. Once there, she slashed at the water fountain, a jet of water shooting out from the destroyed pipe. Now with an outside source of water, she could proliferate its quantity and manipulate it however she desired. Seeing Maka charge, Cancer willed the water to shoot herself forward, tearing through everything in her way like a torpedo. Before Maka knew it, Cancer generated a swirling mass of water around her arm and landed a hard punch directly to her gut. Maka spat up blood instantly.

“I wager you are approximately 13 or 14 years of age. You have not even begun to experience life, especially its harsher realities,” Cancer spoke, backing away to observe her reaction. Predictably, Maka summoned the willpower to charge forward, brandishing her scythe. That was the shortcoming of Scythe Meisters; they were close-range, and all one had to do was watch for the blade itself.

Cancer stomped her foot to toss up water, which she converted into smaller needles. She fired them immediately, and all of them struck Maka. Luckily for her, the hidden body armor prevented any deep punctures, making the wounds shallower than they appeared.

“Maka!” Soul cried out, forgetting that detail.

“Yet you have the gall to criticize me when your daily life probably consists of nothing but attending school, taking quests, and repeating the process the next day,” Cancer continued, watching Maka pull out every needle she could find, “You know absolutely nothing, child, and you certainly have not the means to fight me.”

“Screw you.”

The corner of Cancer’s mouth twitched as she suppressed a sneer. “Since you insist on this charade, I will show no mercy. Once I implant the pain of hopelessness in your heart, your will to fight will waver.”

Maka’s eyes hardened with determination. Nothing short of unconsciousness or death was going to make her submit. “Just try it.”

“Maybe it’s _you_ who needs to rethink things,” Soul interjected as the two females circled each other, sizing one another up. Cancer acknowledged him with the briefest of glances. “Even adults aren’t infallible. Maka and I have been through a lot of things together and with other people, and we still find reasons to wake up the next day. You’re underestimating us, Cancer.”

Cancer made no reply, instead shooting forward faster than anticipated. The crab witch slashed Maka across her chest. Stunned, the girl staggered backwards, giving Cancer the chance to slash her two more times. “Maka! Get your head in the game!” Soul called out, snapping her out of her stupor. Maka parried the next one, but she then felt the room shake.

A torrent of water surged behind Maka and rammed into her with tremendous force, knocking her flat. Then, Cancer slammed her boot dead on Maka’s head with enough power to produce of a spiderweb of cracks in the floor. For a second, the Meister’s vision turned white.

Cancer shook her head, now responding to Soul’s prior comment. “So naïve to the ways of the world, so full of optimism and hope. I, however, have seen the world for how it truly is. Despair is the only truth in this world of lies and hypocrisy. This world is not worth the dirt we walk upon. Unless it is destroyed and remade properly, it will remain that way, a diseased mire, and everyone – humans, witches, and other creatures alike – shall continue to dance like court jesters to its incomprehensible whims. If you live long enough, you shall see it sooner or later, even if _I_ must be the one to teach you that.”

As Cancer grounded her boot into Maka’s skull, blood stained her ashy blonde hair. The Scythe Meister sharply sucked in air, finding the strength to tighten her grip around her weapon and place her other hand on the floor. In a sudden burst of energy, Maka shot up to her feet. “You know _nothing_ about the world!”

Cancer performed a series of backflips to regain her balance and create some distance between them. Once settled, Maka and Cancer met eyes – dark green ones full of hatred and the fires of will, and glowing emerald ones dead and empty.

“It is time to die,” Cancer declared, bending her knees and sprinting at Maka. The Scythe Meister mimicked her, accepting the balance.

They met in the middle of the room. Flesh was pierced, and blood was spilled.

They impaled each other, Maka’s scythe going through Cancer’s back while her claw penetrated her torso. Right then and there, Soul saw the difference in both power and experience. Maka, already worn and battered, wobbled in her spot and coughed violently, looking like death. Cancer, on the other hand, stood still and took the pain like a seasoned pro.

“Too weak.”

Pulling out her claw, Cancer brought up her knee and knocked Maka away, the force causing Soul to be ripped out of her own body. Ignoring the blood beginning to pour out, Cancer drew up raging water and unleashed two columns rotating around each other as a helix. “Paricia.” The water magic spell hit the prone Maka with enough force to blow out the wall.

Cancer placed her claw against her wound, applying pressure to it. She used her free hand to wipe the blood pooling between her lips. “That should do it.” Hearing an explosion outside, Cancer realized how much of the fight she missed. “Wretched child, interrupting my observation of Project Omega.”

The minute she turned around, she heard a faint giggle.

Cancer tossed a deadpan glare to where the rubble was. “So you still live clinging to the hope you can best me?” Perhaps she should have made sure Maka had died from Paricia. But no matter; she wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. “Know this, there is no such thing as hope.”

The rubble was cleared in a single stroke, and Maka hobbled out, moving in a zigzag as she cackled maniacally. Cancer blinked, trying to make sense of the situation. Maka lifted her head, showing her wide, exaggerated smile and shrunken irises. Somehow, all bleeding from her many cuts and wounds stopped. Even more bizarrely, the end of her coat danced behind her like a jagged shadow given shape.

Inside the Black Room, Soul played his piano with gusto, sweat coming down his face in rivulets. Behind him, the Little Ogre watched him with a giant, sharp-toothed grin. “Well, well, Soul. I’m impressed. Your friend was in grave trouble, and you went straight to here. Have you finally seen the benefits of the Black Blood?”

“Just sit there and shut up,” Soul retorted, focusing on the music, “I did it to save Maka. She was losing blood fast, and this chick’s beating her.”

A crazed Maka looked at Cancer. The whole room turned black, and all she could see was her. “Here I cooooome~” Her voice laced with a strange purr, Maka ran at Cancer with speeds that should be impossible with her heavily injured body. Unfazed, Cancer blocked the incoming scythe with her crab-claw arm. Using a simple thought, a wave of water sliced through the floor and hit Maka

The effect was the opposite of what Cancer intended. The Scythe Meister stayed on her feet and released a prolonged groan of rapture. “Ohhh, can’t you do _better_ than that?!”

Cancer gritted her teeth and summoned a torrent of water around her, preparing to unleash a different spell. Maka’s maddened smile growing even winder, she batted over some of the electronics lying on the floor around her. They came into contact with Cancer’s water, broke open, and released their stored electricity.

Screaming, Cancer convulsed, forced to drop the spell. She fell to the floor, writhing in pain as the shock made her body do everything but what she wanted to do. Maka giggled like a little child, enjoying the sight. She wanted more. Spotting a circuit breaker, the fog of insanity inside her mind hatched an idea.

Maka frolicked to Cancer, grabbed a fistful of her silver hair, and raced to the circuit breaker. “You know what they say! Water conducts electricity!” Eyes growing wide, Cancer was driven face-first into the breaker with enough force to destroy it. Static exploded out, all the electricity proceeding to electrocute a dampened Cancer. Her whole body went into a violent spasm as the crazed Maka kept in place. After several seconds of nonstop electrocution, Maka pulled the witch away and headed to the windows facing the street. “I think I saw a car outside! Time to take you for a ride~!”

She pushed the dazed Lucrenian out of the window. At that moment, Soul decided to place the fallboard over the piano keys, ceasing further usage of the Black Blood. Maka’s expression returned to normal. Now that the high of Madness was gone, Maka collapsed, unable to carry her own body weight. Soul reverted to a human state and kneeled beside her. “Maka! Maka! Talk to me! Say some—” He cringed when he heard Cancer finally hit the waiting vehicle at the bottom of the building. “That sounded painful.”

Maka coughed weakly. “G-Good…” She gave him a tired smile, letting him know she was fine. Soul sighed in relief and proceeded to pick up Maka, carrying her fireman-style. She was heavily injured and needed medical attention, so Soul thought the best thing would be to get out of here. He eventually made it back outside, being careful not to cause Maka anymore discomfort. “Well, we won that battle. Now it’s up to the others.”

“What exactly did you win?”

A needle whizzed by and grazed Soul’s side. Crying out, the Demon Scythe fell to his knees, dropping his meister.

“Curses… Missed.”

Maka and Soul’s hearts stopped, and their blood ran cold. Against their better natures, they followed the source of the voice.

It was Cancer, standing there after surviving electrocution and a fall.

Her bangs had been singed off, granting an unencumbered view of her intense gaze. Blood and burns marred her pale face. Her hair was disheveled, her skin was marked with wounds, yet she stood poised, exuding a black soul wavelength. Soul and Maka felt the pressure. It was almost drowning them.

“N-No way…” Maka’s voice was barely above a whisper. Her heart pumped at a rapid pace, and she suddenly felt cold. Maka gritted her teeth and glared, becoming defiant once more. Yet, something in the deep recesses of her mind betrayed her. Her gloved palms grew sweaty, and she couldn’t order Soul to drop her and transform. The words wouldn’t come out. _“W-Who… Who is she?! Who survives that?!”_ Maka yelled inside her mind, questioning Cancer’s classification as a Witch.

“Fist of Balam.”

A blast of Demonic Wavelength appeared in the distance and raced toward Cancer, the demon faces within the energy roaring. The Lucrenian jumped backwards to avoid the attack. She narrowed her glowing eyes, witnessing Noel walk up in an unconcerned manner. “Noel Ricardsen. Everyone’s priorities must be awry today. Should you not be helping your friends stop Project Omega?”

“They aren’t my friends, and they can handle your little pet just fine.” He dipped his head slightly, sunglasses falling down the incline of his nose, to reveal his Enchanted Eye gleaming in the darkness. “It’s you I have my eyes on.”

She rolled her eyes. “If I had to conjecture, a Vladingham I killed was someone dear to you. Am I correct?”

“Two in fact,” Noel replied sternly, “but at least you understand that. So you’ll probably understand why I _ache_ ,” He clenched his fist and flexed the muscle in the arm, his Demonic Wavelength spiking, “with the desire to kill you dead. This is the perfect opportunity to do so. You look easy to pick off.”

Caner had to give Noel credit; this was a tactic she’d use if the situation were reversed. Nonetheless, as she took several deep breaths, Cancer strategized. Noel was much stronger than Albarn but without a Meister. All things considered, Cancer figured she could take him, but she was already injured. The fall onto the car actually gave her a limp, and she missed the killing shot on Soul because her focus drifted from lingering pain.

“Too slow.”

Before she realized it, Noel punched over another Fist of Balam, and it laid her flat. Capitalizing on the opportunity, Noel walked over and dug his hands into the ground. Noel summoned all of his strength and began to pull the ground out from underneath the prone Cancer. Noel kept his cool, refusing to grunt or yell out in effort, and tossed a large slab of earth into the air.

“Reign of…” Summoning energy into his fist as Cancer descended, he timed himself perfectly and then punched upward with all his power. “Malphas!” His uppercut released immense explosive force, shooting up a pillar of Demonic Wavelength into the sky. Holding onto the ground for dear life, Soul and Maka braced themselves against the rushing hot wind.

The explosion died down after a few seconds. There were no signs of Cancer or the rock she was on. The face of the building they were near was annihilated. Noel stood amid the aftermath, checking the surroundings for any signs of the witch.

Once satisfied, Noel turned around. “Been saving that one for you,” he mumbled under his breath. He walked over to Maka and Soul, who sat there with their mouths wide open. Staring dully at them, Noel flicked them both on their noses to snap them out of it. “Well, there you have it, children. You just had a first-hand experience with the Massacre Queen herself. She’s every bit as dangerous as she rumored to be.”

Soul sighed, checking his wound. The bleeding had stopped. “Yeah, no kidding.”

“Quite frankly, I’m surprised the two of you lasted so long against her. I intervened so quickly because I feared for your safety.” Examining Maka’s condition, Noel decided to exit the battle against Project Omega and get her some medical attention. He carefully put the Meister across his shoulders fireman-style. “Come on, Soul. You two are dismissed.”

Maka squirmed in Noel’s grasp, trying to get down. “I can still fight.” She screamed in pain when Noel deliberately grabbed her arm, the same one Cancer twisted before her.

“No, you can’t,” Noel replied sternly. He then looked at Soul. “Grab my phone in my pocket, search my Contacts list for someone named Joe Buttataki, and call him.”

As Soul did his allotted task and they quickly exited the battlefield, all the fight within Maka vanished. Her head dropped, bangs falling over her eyes, as she gritted her teeth. Despite her best efforts, Cancer withstood everything she threw at her, and it took someone like Noel to put her down for good. Worse yet, she _froze_. That never happened since she fought Crona!

Confused, angry, and on the verge of tears, Maka made a vow to herself. _“I’ll make you pay for this, Cancer Lucrenian.”_  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, no one misinterpret Cancer’s expository dialogue with Maka. She isn’t whining about why it’s the world’s fault she’s evil. In fact, she never wants to talk about the past, and it was Maka’s insistence that pushed her to talk about it (“I owe you no story”). Cancer is something of a juggernaut – she rarely, if ever, stops to consider her motives and the paths that led her to now (‘rarely’ being the keyword – see her rescue of Neptune and Soriano considering the sisters’ prior argument). She sticks to her beliefs through and through. With her, whatever happens happens.
> 
> I’d also like to apologize. This chapter completely broke the relatively weekly schedule I’ve been doing for the whole Chicago Gang Arc. That’s because this month (April) marks the last month of the semester, so everyone’s been trying to wrap things up. Which means tests, projects, and exam preparation.
> 
> Well, that aside, there are two more chapters left. The next one deals with Project Omega, and I’ll tell ya, it’s not going to take a Joint Resonance to beat the Second Form like it did the First Form.


	47. Why It Should Be Stopped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Cancer's been take care of, that leaves the bigger threat, Project Omega. Can our heroes stop it, knowing this monstrosity is nowhere near complete? End of the Chicago Gang Arc.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.

**Why It Should Be Stopped**  
  
Left and Right slowly regained consciousness. Their eyes opened, but it took some time for their visions to clear. Once it did, the first thing they saw was Marcellus standing over them. “Young master?” Right sat up, but Left remained laying down. He was tired, weak, and injured from fighting Tsuji. When Left tried to move, he winced.  
  
“Hey, hey, just stay down,” Marcellus said, kneeling down beside the henchman, “You’re a lot more hurt than you think. And, uh…” He swallowed thickly, glancing down to his Achilles’ heel. “We had to cut your Achilles’ heel to keep you from harming us.” He quickly followed up with an explanation, summarizing the battle against Walena. “—So… sorry.” He hung his head in shame.  
  
Left weakly shook his head. “No. Lift your head, sir. You did what you had to do. Isn’t that right, Right?”  
  
“Yes, indeed, Left,” Right responded, standing there with his arms crossed. “Rather, _we_ should apologize. We let that harlot roam free, and now the organization is in shambles. We failed our duty, and we failed you. My brother will heal with surgery and time. This,” He gestured to the whole area, referring to the bigger picture, “cannot.”  
  
Marcellus stared solemnly at the twin henchmen, meister and weapon. Even now, the Chicago Gang was the only thing on their minds. These two were supposed to succeed Portis and Morgan in his stead, and until then, they were their right- and left-hand men. Now, they had nothing. Effectively, they lost their purpose in life. _“And I got a place to go to. They don’t.”_  
  
Marcellus sighed. “Look, you two. I mean this as nicely as possible, the association may be done for. You two should consider finding a more respectable occupation. You have all the skills and intelligence necessary to be whatever you want. Sure, you may have to change your names and identities again, but it’s better than wasting your lives away.”  
  
“But… whatever shall we do? Our lives are have in service to the family.”  
  
“Whatever you want.”  
  
The ground and the villa shook. Immediately after, a giant crab broke through the left wall with its pincers, carving its way through. “Annnnd time to go!” Fueled by fear, Marcellus quickly grabbed Tsuji and put him on his back.  
  
Right did the same to his injured twin. “Young master, this way!” He kicked down part of the wall near the staircase, revealing an empty space. Marcellus ran after the henchman right as the crab and two others completely forced their way in. Even after entry, they continued running, hearing the sounds of the crabs pounding on the wall to get through.  
  
When the sounds were completely gone, they slowed down to a walk. The tunnel was lit up by electric lights resembling lanterns. Tsuji and Marcellus glanced around. “How long has this been here?” The latter asked.  
  
“An emergency tunnel we installed in your absence for the direst of situations,” Right responded, keeping his head forward as he led the way. His intentions were to get to the other side as soon as possible. Then, the earth rumbled, some dirt falling from the upper scaffold, from the battle on the surface. Right increased his pace. “Hurry. I need to get you and my brother out of here now.”  
  
Marcellus did the same, being careful not to have Tsuji slip out of the piggyback position. After what seemed to be minutes, they arrived at a staircase, climbed it, and exited through another secret door. They were at the farthest end of the territory, directly opposite to the pier, in what looked like a small but abandoned park.  
  
Hearing another explosion, Marcellus looked off in the distance to see Project Omega. He and Tsuji’s eyes shrunk at the sight. “Oh my God, it’s the Holland Anria all over again!” Tsuji cried out.  
  
Then, they heard the screeching of tires. A car pulled up, and Joe was visible in the rolled-down window. “Marcellus!”  
  
“Joe!” Marcellus ran up right as Enrique and Tezca hopped out of the backseat. “I’m so glad to see you. Tsuji here is weak and hurt. I’m trying to get him out of here.”  
  
Tezca’s focus was on the monstrosity in the distance. “Then go ahead and get in. Joe, take ‘em to the checkpoint so EMTs can go to work.” He transformed into a mirror around Enrique’s leg. “We’re about to go get medieval on this thing! Let’s ride, Enrique!”  
  
Enrique chattered and jumped toward the nearest tree, flinging himself forward and heading into territory limits. Meanwhile, Joe and Marcellus helped Tsuji into the backseat. Once he was settled, Joe reentered the driver’s seat. Before Marcellus went around to the passenger side, he remembered something. He looked over his shoulder. “Left? Right? You guys—”  
  
They were gone.  
  


* * *

  
  
The crew immediately took advantage of Project Omega’s large size. With just one eye and apparently no supplementary senses, there was no way it could focus on everyone from all sides at once.  
  
The problem was actually damaging it.  
  
Kid stood on top of a building and repeatedly fired Death Cannon blasts. He was aiming for the eye, but Project Omega’s constant moving made him miss entirely or hit the seemingly indestructible body itself. “And here I thought swarming it from all sides was completely beneficial to us.” He tried to fire another but froze up when Project Omega spotted him, eye glowing with energy. Kid immediately hopped on Beelzebub and flew away right as the beam was fired, destroying the building he was on.  
  
Kilik jumped on to to one of its legs, held on, and repeatedly threw punches in hopes of breaking through the spot. “How—! Tough—! Is—! This—!  Dang—! Thing—!?” The Pot Meister gritted his teeth, noticing he was only leaving a dent that probably felt like a small tickle to Project Omega itself. He stopped when Project Omega lifted that leg to readjust its position, holding on for dear life.  
  
Project Omega lifted the other front leg, the end brimming with energy, and slammed it on the ground, releasing a shockwave. It wasn’t aiming for a particular attacker, just the general area to keep those stuck on the ground at bay. It had superior range and power, and it intended to use it.  
  
Thrown into a pile of rubble, Caius slowly got back up. By the time he did, Project Omega’s back was turned. He decided to go for one of the hind legs. Blue fire burst out of his hands, cloaking the length of his lance. He assumed the position of one preparing to throw a javelin. “Eruptio Maxima.” While keeping his grip on the lance itself, he made the throwing motion, sending out the sharpened, flaming mold. It hit the hind leg and exploded into a burst of flames, but Project Omega itself never noticed. Caius growled in frustration. “Why is this thing so tough?”  
  
Claudia exhaled sharply through her nose. “Well. This is rather troubling.”  
  
Caius glanced at the head of the lance. “I’m amazed at how chill you are at this.”  
  
“Complaining about it or saying how hopeless this is wouldn’t help, now would it?”  
  
He shrugged. “Truly.” He felt a hard smack on his shoulder, almost knocking him flat. “Ow! Rowena!”  
  
“Don’t stop!” Rowena shouted, giving him a brief look before heading back to the battle. “Hit it with everything you’ve got and then some!”  
  
Kim and Crona flew around the vicinity, bombarding the monstrosity with fire and screech attacks from above. Project Omega reacted to their assault more than anyone else, unleashing blasts into the sky whenever it spotted them. Meanwhile, Stein stood at a safe distance, observing what he could. He removed his glasses and pocketed them. “Hm. This looks simple, but it’s not. It seems like our normal attacks are fazing it, but with its size, most options are impractical.”  
  
“Yeah. I got reservations getting up close to that thing too,” Spirit said from within his weapon form, “A point-blank blast might spell death. And who knows what else it can do?”  
  
Around Project Omega’s eye, slots opened, and three chainsaw-like whips on each side came out. Kim and Crona both hit the brakes, turned around, and flew away at high speeds, trying to outrun the whips. Then, Project Omega spotted Kid flying low on his skateboard with Blackstar running on the ground below. The monstrosity lashed out its six tendrils at them. The earth instantly ruptured, leaving a large crater in the middle of a network of cracks.  
  
Spirit’s eye twitched, feeling the residual wind from the blow against his form. “Well, there’s one thing.”  
  
Kim and Crona resumed their aerial assault. Its tendrils still out, it thrashed them about, trying to hack the two flyers. Then, it felt something akin to being struck with a pillow in the back of the head. _”Oh, right. They're trying to hurt me.”_ It readjusted its position, feeling it a few more times. It was Ox casting lightning from his spear. Project Omega raised one of its legs and fired smaller, light blue beams from the tips, blasting the building he stood on with them. What remained was a shell of a building full of holes. _“Well. That was much weaker than I thought. Note taken.”_  
  
“Ox!” Kim yelled, flying over to the site to see if Ox was fine and to rescue him. Kid covered her by flying around Project Omega’s face and shooting his guns, having deactivated Death Cannon. Luckily, Ox was uninjured, Kim hauling him away from the unstable, derelict building. Project Omega reached over and grabbed said building and flung it towards Kid. The Shinigami responded by holding down the triggers, blasting a hole in the building so he could safely pass through it. What remained of the building landed haphazardly near the pier.  
  
Kim and Ox regrouped with Kilik while the others continued to fight with all their might. With more and more rubble and damage piling with every attack from the project, it was increasingly harder to move around for those confined to the ground. “None of this is working,” Harvar said grimly, glaring up to the artificial lifeform.  
  
“There must be _something_ we can do,” Jacqueline said. Although, as she searched the deep recesses of her mind for solutions, she was at her wit’s end like everyone else.  
  
That’s when gunshots rang.  
  
Team Kilik instantly dropped to the ground for cover, thinking they were under attack. Just then, they heard loud series of footsteps. They looked around to see the S.W.A.T. Team and all other sorts of allies filing in armed and ready for combat. “Fall in! Take cover!” A commander barked out, “Use your ammo wisely and give that thing Hell!”  
  
The brave men and women from the police precinct fired their best guns and weapons, helping out to the best of their abilities.  
  
And they weren’t alone.  
  
One of Project Omega’s hind legs froze over at the base. To the best its large size could offer, the artificial lifeform looked to see the perpetrator. Marvin stood near his ice construct, arms crossed with ice spear stabbed into the ground, guffawing. “Ho there, giant freak! I’m here to elude your defenses and punish your weaknesses!” He snatched up his ice spear as Project Omega stared at with what resembled a blank expression. “May my spear of ice strike true and deliver exquisite pain and death upon my foes! Ah, let the depths of agony be palpable the palettes of violent red shine vividly!”  
  
“Go get ‘em, bro!” Andy cheered on from within his weapon form.  
  
Project Omega yanked its leg out of the ice with great force, the broken chunks pelting Marvin and burying him.  
  
Team Kilik could not believe their eyes. The cavalry came. For people like them held in higher regard. “Don’t just stand there, make yourselves useful.” A voice ordered from behind. It was Il Sung with one of Cancer’s giant crabs impaled on his ssangsudo.  
  
“Trying to have seafood for dinner?” Kilik quipped.  
  
“Hardly.” The Korean meister dropped it. “I cannot take all the credit. This was just a straggler. The police handled the rest. Even this one is riddled with bullet holes.”  
  
“M-Master Il Sung is right though,” Eun Ae said, “Now’s our chance. We must fight together.”  
  
Kilik nodded and turned back around, punching his gauntlets together. “Fine then! Let’s keep attacking ‘til we burn it out!” He and Ox charged while Kim took to the skies again.  
  
Il Sung held up his ssangsudo, the moonlight filtering behind him. “The Moon speaks to me.”  
  
He too ran ahead to join the fray, everyone fighting with renewed effort. Someone from every side, either from the DWMA or the police department, fired or used their weapon. The gleam in Project Omega’s crimson eye wavered constantly, having a hard time keeping up with the pressure. _“So much to focus on. What should I do?!”_  
  
Enrique hung on a streetlight by his tail, curiously looking up to the rampaging monstrosity. Tezca appeared on the surface of his mirror, sighing. “Too bad there’s no sun around. That’s okay. The moonlight’s all we need. Enrique! Soul Resonance!”  
  
The primate chattered as he threw herself into the air by his tail, the two resonating. The moon’s ray gathered in a focal point in the mirror. “Lunar Ray!” A concentrated beam of intense energy was fired at Project Omega. It hit one of the spots where a chainsaw-like whip was. The beam uprooted the tendril and tore open the hull, generating an explosion that stunned Project Omega. Metal groaned and creaked as Project Omegas swayed a little.  
  
For the first time in the fight, Project Omega was hurt.  
  
Battle cries erupted throughout the ravaged territory, emboldened by the breakthrough. Everybody coordinated their attacks with even more effort and power than before. It wasn’t as invincible as it seemed. Victory was possible.  
  
“Soul Fist!” Meredith activated her family’s trademark, a large aura of her soul wavelength surrounding her, and burst into a dead sprint. Her wavelength pumping her muscles and body with power, she ran fast enough to scale right up the building. Still moving as she reached the top, Meredith jumped at Project Omega’s face, her chain wrapping around one of her fists. Her Soul Fist aura took the shape of a trumpeting mastodon as she delivered a punch.  
  
Meredith gritted her teeth, feeling the same arm flare up with pain, but at the same time, there was no resistance. Project Omega staggered a little under the strong hit. “Target stunned and prone to follow-ups.” Starting to fall, Meredith swung her chain like a lasso at the nearest object and swung herself out of the way.  
  
Rowena seethed with jealously at the sight. “No fair! I can do that without some fancy technique! Somebody get me up there!”  
  
Nayumi deadpanned. “Um, Rowena? Don’t you think you’re being a little too ambitious?”  
  
The orange-haired girl glared down to the sledgehammer. A hard pat on her back interrupted her. It was Kilik. “Come on, Rowena, get your head in the game! It’s time for the heavy artillery! Let’s do DDT.”  
  
“Fine.”  
  
As they did their Joint Resonance, Crona and Ox were already at another point in the battlefield doing their own. “Heaven Piercing Roar!” A torrent of lightning and pitch-black sound waves collided with Project Omega’s beam. Unable to overpower one another, the beams collapsed into an explosion right in the lifeform’s face, blinding it with smoke.  
  
Seeing that opportunity, gunfire sped up as police and S.W.A.Ts pelted its hull. Stein laid low with some officers and didn’t turn to Tezca as he joined them with Enrique. “So, cooked up any plots, Franken? Red?” the Demon Mirror inquired.  
  
Stein nodded briefly. “Just one, but I need an opening to get on its back. I don’t want to get caught up in friendly fire, but we need to keep up the pressure. It’s weakening.”  
  
Tsubaki summoned a tendril from her meister’s shadow and tossed Blackstar at Project Omega. He readied his blade. “Yaaaaaaahooo—” Showing it still had some fight left, the monstrosity knocked Blackstar right out of the air with one of its whips. The boy hit the ground, a crater forming around him.  
  
“Blackstar! Are you OK?!” Tsubaki cried out in concern.  
  
Blackstar groaned in pain, getting on his hands and knees. Pain shot up to his shoulder. He quickly popped it back in place, rolling it and exercising the related muscles to stay lingering pain. “Y-Yeah. It just caught me off-guard. That’s all.”  
  
Out of nowhere, a voice spoke to him in the back of his mind.  
  
_“For all your arrogance and boasts, you are still a child. This is what real fear is. I see a boy so overcome by despair that he cannot even stand. To ‘transcend the gods’ is not even a shadow of a dream for one such as you, boy.”_  
  
Blackstar gritted his teeth and tightened his grip around the Enchanted Sword. He thought he was done with this, but he was being tested again. _“No. NO! I meant what I said, damn it! We’re gonna beat this thing no matter what!”_ Here was a monster that threatened to destroy his friends and whatever it pleased. He promised Tsubaki, that deer, and the many people who followed the Path of the Warrior he’d stand up to these things and win. Lifting his head up, his Star Clan pupils shined in both eyes, face taut with intensity, as he punched the ground and shot back to his feet. “Tsubaki, Soul Resonance. We’re shooting for the stars with this one.”  
  
“Right!”  
  
Blackstar's shadow rose into the air before diving towards him, wrapping around his neck and transforming into two long scarves. The Enchanted Sword glowed and removed its black color, instead becoming white. “Shadow☆Star: Zeroth Form — Masamune.”  
  
The Star Clan scion sprinted forward, eyes focused on Project Omega only. His mad dash caught the attention of nearby forces.  
  
“What’s that kid think he’s doing?”  
  
“Who cares? Cover him!”  
  
“Rocket launchers, on my command… Fire!”  
  
From different points, rockets were fired at Project Omega’s face. It raised one of its legs to block them, but the distraction was perfect for Blackstar. His shadow scarves flung him into the air. Meanwhile, the white sword in his hand formed a number of shadow swords near him. They were then launched, digging into the hull of Project Omega like a hot knife through butter.  
  
_“What is… this feeling?! I don’t like it. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. IT HURTS!”_  
  
Blackstar roared with effort as he got closer and swung. The shadow swords all sliced in one single motion, tearing through the metal and synthetic flesh. Project Omega withered under the attack. “INFINITY!”  
After doing the damage, the shadow swords continued to hover around Blackstar as he landed behind the monstrosity, believing his job to be done.  
  
_“Now’s my chance!”_ Stein sprinted out from his spot. “I’m going in! Wish me luck!” Trying not to get stepped on, he managed to reach one of the hind legs, jump up, and get on by stabbing Spirit into the surface.  
  
Project Omega finally regained its composure and kept attacking everybody in the vicinity. Kim flew by on Jacqueline and rained down fire. Project Omega reached out and blindly swatted at her but missed. “Sutures, go!” White threads sewed Stein to the mechanical leg, keeping him anchored as Project Omega continued to move around. Seeing everything spin, Stein closed his eyes to keep his cool. _“This is one disorienting ride.”_  
  
Restless, Project Omega squirmed and thrashed. Eventually, it hunched over as two slots appeared on its back. Sprays of light spew out as it deployed its wing units. It pushed off the ground, and the wing units carried it. Bringing the ends of its front legs closer, blue light concentrated into an orb as it slowly hovered higher and higher, trying to get out of everyone’s range. This would obliterate the entire opposition and then some.  
  
Acting faster, Meredith activated her Soul Fist to maximize her physical abilities and twirled her chain above her head like a lasso. “Luther, extend as far as you can!” She threw the chain with all her strength, aiming at one of the hind legs.  
  
“Time for my own Soul Fist to shine!” Luther yelled out. The whole, extending length of his chain form was cloaked in white soul energy. The very end took the shape of a lamprey’s mouth, opening wide and ready to latch on to the surface. By the time Luther reached his limit, it grabbed ahold of the leg’s surface. “I’m attached!”  
  
Meeting tons of resistance, Meredith tried to hold her ground but was being dragged forward easily, the asphalt of the street breaking apart. Even with Soul Fist, her muscles felt ready to tear apart. Her hands were raw, and her vision began to blur in pain. That was when Rowena jumped out and took ahold of the chain. Then Kilik, Ox, Caius, Marvin, Il Sung, and Enrique. Even the Weapons, including the Pot Twins and Claudia, helped out. They managed to keep Project Omega from ascending higher, but every single one of them struggled to keep it that way.  
  
“Y-You know,” Andy spoke through labored breaths as he worked alongside his meister, “This would be a real good time for Mr. N to pop out and h-help us!”  
  
Right on cue, the Demon Shield himself rushed over. “You call me?” Grabbing available chain beside Rowena and Nayumi, he took part in the effort. “Sorry, everyone, I had to get Maka and Soul out of here before I returned. I’ll explain later, just pull and don’t let go!”  
  
Stein was going at a snail’s pace up the artificial lifeform’s leg. Spirit grew impatient. He knew Stein was being careful, but they were running out of time. “Come on, Stein, now’s our only chance if you’re trying to do something!”  
  
Stein realized the truth behind Spirit’s words, especially as he glanced at the energy charging between Project Omega’s hands. “Yeah, you’re right, Spirit.” He spotted Kim flying around, desperately unleashing fire to get the monstrosity to stop. “Kim! I need you to drop me off on its head!”  
  
“Okay!” Trusting her teacher, Kim flew by Stein, retrieved him, and headed to the top of Project Omega.  
  
During the ride, Stein gripped his scythe tighter. “Spirit, we need Soul Resonance. Let’s do it.”  
  
“Gotcha.”  
  
Kim hovered above Project Omega as Spirit rotated the Death Scythe above his head, gathering energy at its tip. When the witch gave him his cue, he jumped off.  
  
“Witch Hunter.”  
  
Stein swung, leaving an angular blade in the arc of his swing. The large construct hooked and stabbed right into Project Omega’s eye. At that moment, it stopped charging its final attack and shot its hand up to its damaged eye. After landing, Stein grinned and proceed to run down its back, Witch Hunter carving its way through. “First was your eye. Now feel that. That’s Witch Hunter piercing what I guess to be your vertebral column or whatever your equivalent is. Let’s keep going, shall we?”  
  
Blue light poured out of Project Omega as Witch Hunter was dragged across its back. “Now I’m in the thoracic vertebrae, tearing up whatever organic or inorganic is keep your main body upright.” An explosion occurred as one of the wing units was destroyed. Thus, Project Omega began to plummet. “There goes the humerus associated with that wing unit of yours.” Stein reached the very end, hoping Kim or Crona was around to see him, and jumped off, pulling out Witch Hunter with a hard tug. “Looks like that’s the end of this appointment. Take some medicine, and I’ll return your call whenever the thought crosses my mind.”  
  
Sure enough, Crona flew over and caught Stein, slowly beginning their descent. Project Omega shut down completely, the remnants of the creature turning black and unraveling like thread before it hit the ground below. Stein and Crona landed on the ground as Witch Hunter. With a sigh of relief, Stein retrieved his glasses and put them back on.  
  
“Finally, we’re finished here.”  
  


* * *

  
  
Finally, in the dead of night, the battle ended. All fire ceased, emergency personnel rolled in for damage control, and news crew questioned everyone to get a scoop. Everybody gathered around to check up on one another, glad the nightmare was finally over. Nearby, Project Omega’ soul hovered in a spot slightly flooded due to broken fire hydrants and busted pipes.  
  
Kid walked up to Project Omega’s soul. “So this is it, huh?” He held up his hand, preparing to confiscate it. “Well, then. It’s time to take it in for Father to see.”  
  
Suddenly, the water stirred and expanded into a violent swirl, knocking everyone, including Kid, flat and away from the soul. Amid the spiraling water, Cancer – still dressed in wounds from her battle with Maka – landed beside Project Omega’s soul and took it in her claw.  
  
“Stop her! Fire at will!”  
  
All armed officers snatched up their rifles or pistols and fired. The water protected Cancer, which darkened in color as more and more bullets filled it.  
  
“You all can bark as loud as you wish, try as hard as you like, but I will not yield.”  
  
Commanders and lieutenants ordered their men and women to hold their fire as Cancer continued talking.  
  
“You have not an idea what truly awaits you all. You are probably thinking no matter what I say, no matter what creature I send, no matter what I do, my defeat is inevitable. Go ahead and think that. That singular thought is a spark. A spark that incites hope and ignites the hearts of your weary souls.”  
  
The whirling water slowed down and eventually settled back into its original position, Cancer and Project Omega long gone.  
  
“I will extinguish that flame."  
  


* * *

  
  
The police department removed everybody from the ravaged territory and to the checkpoints far away. A group of emergency personnel put up police tape, traffic cones, and such so citizens will know not to approach this part of the city. Elsewhere, Kid confiscated the souls of the fallen giant crabs with the help of others. Meanwhile, the participants in the operation were getting checked out and interviewed. But, at this point, the results were plain as day: both gangs had been stopped for good, but Cancer and Project Omega got away.  
  
Spirit gripped his forehead, feeling a little frustrated. He was with Stein, Tezca, Joe, and Noel. “Argh, I can’t believe she escaped.”  
  
Noel leaned against an ambulance with his arms crossed, the flashing lights of the vehicles bothering his eyes a little. “I could have sworn I got her with Reign of Malphas. That’s my fault.”  
  
Tezca chuckled, catching the attention of the men. “Now, now, it’s not all bad, guys. Check this out.” His torso changed into a mirror. At first, all they saw were their reflections. Then, the image of a Witch Soul appeared. Inside his mask, Tezca smirked knowingly. “She wasn’t as fast as she thinks.”  
  
Meanwhile, near an ambulance, Klemens sat in the open doors, hands steepled with his gaze squarely on the ground. Madeline stood by him, rambling to herself. “Sheesh. You see the size of that bugger? I guess it’s a good thing we didn’t go, Klemmy. Not to worry. Once ya get all patched up, we can—”  
  
The Danish Meister casted an intense glare, not in the mood for her flights of fancy. “Madeline. Please. Stop.”  
  
The Demon Claymore’s throat ran dry. That was a first. “S-Sorry…” She turned away, giving Klemens his peace. She glanced around, and the first thing she noticed was the giant crab with Kid. It was twitching a little, indicating there was some life left in it.  
  
The last crab’s eyes locked onto Maka Albarn. There was the cretin who dared to attack its master. Full of hatred, the giant crab summoned the strength to move and sprint at the Scythe Meister, blitzing through everyone and everything in its way. By the time those around readied their weapons, it lunged at Maka with Soul throwing his body in the way.  
  
Klemens was nearest, and it looked like she was so lost in her thoughts she wasn’t going to budge. “M-Maka!” He instinctively grabbed Madeline’s hand, and she transformed into a claymore. Everything that happened to him today became a blur as he focused solely on saving his classmate. Klemens and Madeline initiated Soul Resonance.  
  
“Empty Sky Form: Spring’s Advent!” Klemens swung his claymore, the blades of which brimming with light and resembling an angel’s halo, and bifurcated the crab trying to attack Maka. The halves fell on either side of the emergency vehicle, only to disappear and leave behind a soul. Klemens released a choking gasp as he lost his footing and fell over. His stab wound reopened, some blood starting to stain the gauze. He looked up to a stunned Maka and said, “I learned today standing in front of an enemy is liable to get you hurt.”  
  
It wasn’t until now Maka registered what happened. _“What is_ wrong _with me?”_  
  
As EMTs rushed to check up on them, everyone else breathed easy again and went back to whatever. Hopefully that would be the last scare for tonight.  
  
Having heard what he wanted from Tezca, Noel sought out Marcellus and Nayumi. The two conversed like normal people near the ambulance Tsuji was in. From the distance, Noel saw the difference. The two of them looked like they changed. The Demon Shield walked over, hearing Marcellus sigh and say, “It’s a shame sometimes you don’t know what you’ve had until you lose it.”  
  
Noel knew Marcellus was talking about his biological parents. He, unlike a confused Spirit, still unambiguously disliked them. “Now, hold on, Marcellus,” he remarked as the two looked at him, “Let’s not forget what they’ve done to you. You can forgive them, sure, but you don’t dare forget.”  
  
Marcellus shook his head. “I won’t, I won’t. I guess it’s meant to be complicated.”  
  
A brief silence befell upon them as Noel gathered his thoughts in an attempt to bring the discussion in the direction he wanted. “You two are strong people, going through what your parents subjected you to.”  
  
“I wouldn’t call my folks ‘parents,’ Mr. Ricardsen,” Nayumi said, “Just because you conceive a child doesn't make you a parent. I mean, I haven't heard from mine since I ran away from Canada. Then again, they’re probably behind bars.”  
  
Marcellus leaned against the ambulance, hands in his pockets, and rested one foot against the surface. “Honestly, I’m just ready to put this behind me.” Today was such an emotional rollercoaster he felt drained. A tired yawn escaped him to show that. “I’m glad I have something left at the end of this.”  
  
Noel placed a hand on Marcellus’s shoulder and tousled Nayumi’s hair, getting their undivided attention as he stared at them. For some reason, his look softened, the rarest of sights from someone as stoic like him. “Marcellus, Nayumi, always know there is a home you can come to no matter what. As long as you bear the Ricardsen surname, you will have a family. So, please, when we get back, let me adopt the two of you.”  
  
The two Demon Weapons froze with shock, staring at the man with wide eyes. He seriously considered them as one of his own? Silence once again befell them as Nayumi and Marcellus processed the offer. Was this the chance to start a new life like they always wanted?  
  
The silence broken when Nayumi made a series of soft, strained noises. Biting her lip, tears streamed down her face. As she threw herself at Noel and captured him a tight hug. “D-Daddy!”  
  
Noel returned the hug and then glanced at Marcellus. He smiled awkwardly, shrugging his shoulders. “I-I guess that’s your answer… Father.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've reached the conclusion of the Chicago Gang arc. So, everyone, how'd you like it? Was my pacing better? Did you think my upload schedule was good enough considering I had college classes, spring football, and most recently exams?
> 
> The next chapter is a very special one, so I'm far more inclined to write it up. In fact, it's already in the process. I'll hold all announcements until then… unless you've been following my DeviantArt channel in which case you probably know what I'm gonna say.
> 
> Oh. And I changed my username from "CertainDestiny" to "Grade-AMasterpiece." For those who know me, please spread that around.


	48. Act 1 Epilogue: Only the Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Act 1 Epilogue. It's time to unwind and think about what just happened as all sides retreat to their homes, ponder, and lick their wounds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.

  
**Act 1 Epilogue: Only the Beginning**

_Month 3, Week 2, Day 5 (Friday, March 13th)_

Three days passed since the operation. The first day everyone stayed in Chicago to catch up on sleep and for the injured to be checked out. The second day everyone went back home and was given the rest of the day off for recuperation. Today, most of them were set to return to school.

On this Friday morning, Claude read the newspaper and enjoyed a cup of coffee in the dining room, wearing a black and white morning robe. The main headline for today said:

_The Other Side Gang and Chicago Underground Association dissolved  
The Academy to build a base near the Port of Chicago _

“Glad to hear they’re no more,” Claude remarked after a sip, “That area of the country is a bit of dead zone for Academy influence. A new base there should remedy that.” At that moment, Claudia entered the dining room with a small yawn, dressed and ready for school. Claude looked up from his newspaper and smiled. “Good morning, daughter.”

“Morning, Father,” Claudia replied as she took her seat. Watson provided a cup and poured her some tea to start her off. “Thank you, Watson.”

Claude refolded the newspaper and set it down, finished with it. “I recently spoke with Sid about your grades. I see they’ve improved, so I’m going to lift your punishment. You can shop again.”

“OK. Thank you.” Claudia took a sip of her tea. The test-taking skills workshop worked. Normally, such an announcement would fill her with joy. But, now, it meant little, and she knew it. _“My God, what is wrong with me?”_ She shook her head a little, remembering the reason she came down to meet her dad. “So, um, Father? How is the business in France?”

“Magnificent. Why do you ask?”

“Well, um…” She drummed her fingers against the tabletop, gathering her thoughts. “Is it difficult to run it?”

“Not if you know what to do.” He studied her with an arched brow. This was odd of her. “Why do you ask?”

Claudia stammered at the beginning of her answer, but nonetheless forced it out, “Maybe, perhaps, I kinda wanted… to run it when I grow up?”

Claude released a low hum, reclining in his seat as he examined his daughter. Claudia shuffled nervously under her father’s prying gaze. “Now, Claudia, I know you no longer have the heart to dance, but you needn’t put yourself in an uncomfortable position just to appease us.”

Claudia shook her head. “I’m not trying to. I really want to at least attempt this.”

The Moncharmin stroked his chin contemplatively. “The fact does remain you are our one and only progeny.” He then casted a stern look to her. “But I still think you lack responsibility.”

“Responsibility?!” Flushed with embarrassment, Claudia slammed her hands on the tabletop. “I am so responsible!”

Claude raised an eyebrow, challenging her. “Really now? Remember Mr. Fluffyham?”

The Demon Lance froze up. “…Uhh…” She smiled sheepishly, shrugging her shoulders. “I-It was an accident?”

The retired meister sighed. “Claudia, I believe the problem is your mother and I spoiled you too much, but we’ve been correcting that before it’s too late.” Hence the punishment for her low grades and the honest conversation they were having now. _“Why do you think we stopped having business parties and the like? So we can go back to being parents to you.”_ He saw his daughter hang her head, losing the will to keep talking. The sight made him reconsider his feelings. He guessed Claudia was trying to keep her options open in life. “Tell you what,” he spoke at length, “We’re making our annual trip back to France for summer vacation. I’ll take you to the business meetings. So listen and watch carefully so you’ll learn the ins and outs. That’ll be a good start. Sound good?”

Instantly, Claudia lifted her head, smiling ear-to-ear, her whole expression brightening up. “Yes, yes! Thank you, Dad!” She hopped out of her chair and ran over to hug him. She then skipped out, ready to start the day in high spirits.

Claude shook his head and chuckled. “Seems like just yesterday she didn’t know her own social security number.”

* * *

Tsuji paced back and forth in his room, recalling the conversation with Voice. He actively kept thinking about everything said about the Enchanted Eyes so he wouldn’t forget. The next step was figuring out what to do with this knowledge. Marcellus, dressed to go to school like him, stopped reading his manga and looked at him. “Pacing isn’t going to make Noel cook breakfast any faster.”

Tsuji stopped and gave him a dull look. “You know that ain’t what this is about.” He sighed and plopped down on the edge of his bed. “I gotta think of some way to keep my promise to Voice. The stuff we learned in there needs to come out here.”

Marcellus thought the solution was simple. “Easy. Just jot down every point he said down. Heck, write an article or a book about it. I’m sure someone at the Academy will make sure it gets around.”

Tsuji looked at his now-adoptive brother. “You think they’ll believe it?”

Marcellus absentmindedly fished in his bag of lollipops. “What choice do they have? The current information sucks, and are they really going to argue with someone with Eyes themselves?”

“True.” Tsuji threw himself back on his mattress and powered up his laptop, planning to use this time to his advantage. “All right, guess I’ll get to writing.” Once it was warmed up, he pulled up a blank Word document and gathered his thoughts. He stared at the screen, trying to figure out where to start.

...

...

...

He pulled at his hair. “ _I can’t think of how to start_!”

* * *

Blackstar stood on top of one of the spires. Instead of yelling out to the heavens, he simply stood there to enjoy the view. A while back, this used to be one of his favorite pastimes. He just wanted to reminisce for right now. He glanced down to see Tsubaki greeting the Ricardsen siblings. He scratched his head. “It’s gonna take some time getting used to that,” he mumbled to himself, jumping down.

“It’s funny how you guys fell into the role of siblings so easily,” Tsubaki remarked with her ever-present smile. She could hardly tell the difference between them now and before.

“I mean, we’ve been living together for the past two years,” Rowena replied, “Not much of a difference that _should_ make.”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way either.” Standing between the twins, Nayumi held the hands of Rowen and Tsuji. “This is my family now. Even if my parents showed up tomorrow, I wouldn’t go back.”

As an only child before this, Marcellus felt rather weird. He had no clue how to be an older brother figure to his younger siblings despite the lessons he learned. ‘So, what do I do, Noel? I don’t want to disappoint,’ he remembered himself asking Noel after the adoption was finalized. ‘Remember Edward? Model your behavior after him,’ was Noel’s reply about his own older brother.

Out of nowhere, someone bulldozed into Nayumi, the both of them tumbling until they stopped in the middle of the grounds. It was Patty, who beamed down at the smaller girl. “Good morning, Ms. _Ricardsen_.”

Nayumi chuckled weakly. “Oh, hey, Patty. Mind giving me a warning next time?”

Patty pouted, sitting up. “But that takes away all the fun.”

“I see they’re back to normal,” Blackstar commented, remembering the incident at the Ricardsen household. He then looked at Marcellus. “That reminds me, Marcellus. How come you didn’t change your last name all the way like she did?”

Marcellus wasn’t the only person ready to move on. Nayumi completely abandoned the Ardsen surname in order to fully live on as a different person. He, on the other hand, had a bit of a change of heart. “All I can say is things change. My folks weren’t what I thought,” he answered. ‘Ardsen-Ricardsen’ – an acknowledgment of the little good he saw in his parents but a declaration to put the past behind him and move on with his new life.

Blackstar narrowed his eyes, frowning. “I don’t get you, Marcellus. They treat you terribly all throughout your childhood. Now, you spend less than a weekend with them and you sound like you’ve forgiven them.”

Ignoring how much Blackstar sounded like Noel right now, Marcellus explained, “Oh, believe me, I haven’t forgotten what they’ve done. It’s just I’d like to remember the goodness I saw in them and leave it at that. You see, Blackstar, the world isn’t black and white. Some bad guys have some good hearts, some good guys do bad things, and everything in-between. Sure, Portis and Morgan were criminal leaders, but they sacrificed themselves to make sure I lived to fight another day. There are far worse evils out there. It’s best we focus on that.”

Tsuji got Marcellus’s attention by tapping his back. “C’mon, brother, we got to head to our lockers and stuff. We got some stuff to do before class.”

The two brothers said their goodbyes and left everyone. Rowena stayed around and chatted it up with Tsubaki. Meanwhile, Blackstar watched them go, brow creasing as he immersed himself in his thoughts. _“Wait, so… If the world’s not like that, then what about us? Is our goal completely good then? Argh, I’m getting a headache. Forget this, I’m gonna train ‘til class starts.”_ With a small scoff, the assassin walked off.

While Rowena answered a text message, Tsubaki took note of her meister leaving. Blackstar wasn’t one to think deeply about something. So, when he did, Tsubaki knew something was up. She saw the look on his face during and after Marcellus’s discussion. Now, what was on his mind, Tsubaki couldn’t tell. _“I hope he’s just tired from all the drama.”_

* * *

Lord Death stood in front of his whole faculty – from the homeroom teachers to the present Death Scythes to even minor staff like Granny and Kathi – with Tezca and Enrique by his side.

“Thank you all for being here on such short notice,” the God of Order said at length, “And great work, everyone who went to Chicago. We were able to stop Project Omega without anyone dying in spite of some close calls and extensive damage.” He unfortunately regretted what befell the Chicago Gang, particularly Portis and Morgan; he gave his dues when he heard the full story. He glanced at the Demon Mirror beside him. “We learned a lot about it, the Anria, and who was behind them all, Cancer of the Lucrenian Clan. The best news is Tezca here got a lock on her soul before she slunk off into shadows. Just as I planned.”

Thankful murmuring resonated in the Death Room. So far, all good news; a great way to start off the day.

Lord Death looked Tezca and cued him with a nod, one he reciprocated. The Demon Mirror turned to face the giant mirror behind him as his torso reconfigured into one itself. “Mirror, mirror on the wall, show us the location of the most wretched of them all.”

Both mirrors glowed white, Tezca trying to project what he had stored in his body onto the bigger surface so everyone could see it too. Seconds drew out as the faculty waited, but when Tezca started glancing back and forth between himself and the mirror, the murmuring returned.

“Is everything all right, Tezca?” Marie asked.

Mizuki cleared his throat. “Um, not to sound disparaging, Mr. Tlipoca, but… is that it?”

“Uhh, it shouldn’t be. Let me try again.” Tezca repeated the process but received the same results. “Milord, I think your mirror is broken.”

Roger deadpanned. “Dude, can’t you detect someone no matter where they are?”

Steam spewed out of the ears of Tezca’s mask. “I can! Quit your sassing, blondie!”

Feeling cheated, Noel and Kathi both took their leave. Tezca cried out dramatically to them and anyone else departing, “Wait, I-I’m sorry. I swear I’ve never underperformed like this before!”

Marie sighed. “Darn. There goes our shot.”

“Not entirely,” Lord Death piped in, “Cancer either has taken refuge in the Witch’s Realm, where Tezca’s detection can’t reach, or someplace similar. When she comes out, however, we’ll know exactly where she’ll be.”

The meeting didn’t turn out quite like how many of them expected. As such, most of them quietly excused themselves to go prepare for the day ahead. Only the most loyal of the staff stayed there. Noticing that, Lord Death sighed and addressed them, “I believe now’s as good of a time as ever. Here’s a little background about Cancer’s clan, the Lucrenians. They are a clan of technologically advanced Witches. Their progenitor was a Warlock named Poseidon, the creator of the Water Magic, a type of magic considered customary for them to learn and master. I know for a fact that Cancer is not the true creator of Project Omega. Her ancestors started it, but it appears she’s trying to finish it.”

Stein hummed in thought, interested in this little history lesson. “So are we to assume Project Omega has the same basic purpose as back then?”

Lord Death titled his body in his signature way. “In all likelihood, Cancer has transformed Project Omega to serve her needs and represent her own beliefs instead of her ancestor’s.” He straightened back up, gazing at the sky within the Death Room. “I’ll admit, back then, I acted on baseless rumors. Unconfirmed or otherwise, as the guardian of this world, when you hear the words ‘destroy the world’ being thrown around, action _must_ be taken. And so I did. I thought that was the end of it, but I was mistaken, it seems.”

Nobody seemed to have a response to the tidbit of exposition. Seeing that, Lord Death spoke again, “Oh, well. Let’s move on with our lives, shall we, everyone?” His hand popped out from his cloak and waved everyone goodbye for now. “Dismissed, everyone~”

The rest of faculty and staff took their leave. Lord Death sighed and faced his refection in the mirror. “I’m not about to make the same mistake I did with Arachne. I’m gonna defeat you as quickly as possible, Cancer. And, this time, I will not put anyone else in danger of your wrath like the Vladinghams.”

* * *

In the locker rooms, Tsuji and Soul chatted idly as Marcellus went to get his things. “So how’s Maka doing?” The Bow Meister asked, “She still out of it?”

“Not as much,” Soul replied. A smile ghosted his face. He really got concerned when Maka almost allowed herself to be attacked a crab because she couldn’t get over her fight with Cancer. “Blair got her out of her slump.”

Tsuji raised an eyebrow, leaning against a locker. “Blair? You mean that transforming cat-girl? You serious right now?”

Soul shrugged his shoulders. “Believe it or not, Blair’s pretty supportive once you get to know her.”

Tsuji considered that, reforming his opinion the cat with magical powers. “Hmm. Never woulda—”

He was silenced by Marcellus exclaiming and the sound of an avalanche of objects falling on the floor. Soul and Tsuji sharply turned to the source to see brightly colored envelopes piled near the Demon Bow’s feet. Some other students looked to see what the issue was only to leave when it wasn’t that serious. Though, this did draw the attention of Kim and Liz.

“Um, what’s all that?” Kim questioned as she and the older Thompson walked over.

Marcellus stepped out of the pile and picked up one of the random envelopes. “I wish I knew.” He tore it open and took one look at the letter before crumpling it. “Could somebody please get me the trashcan please?”

Curious, Liz picked a different one up and read the letter inside, Kim peeking at it over her shoulder. A grin spread across both girls’ face, Liz saying, “Ohhh~ Someone’s gotten a little popular with the ladies, huh?”

“I just got through dealing a headache,” Marcellus contested as he started dumping the letters into a trash bag held open by Soul, “I don’t need this right now.”

“Oh come on,” Kim argued, putting her hands on her hips, “At least give one of these chicks the presence of mind. Let’s face it, you’re nice and cool but mysterious and reserved. Girls tend to flock toward a guy like you. Guys would kill to be in your position.”

Tsuji threw a deadpan look at Kim but refrained from speaking aloud. _“The pot’s callin’ the kettle black.”_

Marcellus scoffed. “Then let them kill and be tried for murder. Why should I waste time with callow love interests? I don’t plan on pursuing a relationship anytime, and I won’t be forced to do so.” He took one letter in hand and crumpled it up. These girls likely had no idea of true love or what it felt like – not that he was any better. “Saying they love me without even knowing me... Ridiculous. All they know about me is what they saw at school that day.”

When they were done, Soul tied the trash bag in a knot and hoisted it over his shoulder. “And even then it isn’t that much. You ask me, that’s even stranger. I get stuff like this every now and then, but I’ve been here for some time.”

Marcellus paused midway closing his locker. “You know, that’s a good point.” He closed it shut and turned to the others present. “What _do_ they know? I guess rumors are to blame, but where did they start?” He cupped his chin contemplatively as he tried to pinpoint where exactly could these people get such information. Obviously, the gossipers were the easiest answer, but who? That was when Marcellus slowly lifted his head, his slate blue eyes locking onto Liz and Kim.

Liz stiffened. “W-Why are you looking at us?”

Marcellus’s expression never changed. “You tell me.”

Quiet seconds passed by before Liz whipped around and pointed at the pink-haired witch, nearly knocking her flat. “Kim started it!”

“What?!” Kim returned the gesture. “It was Liz’s idea!”

Marcellus raked his hand down his face, glaring at the girls afterward. “Thanks a lot, girls. Really, my business being put out there means _a lot_ to me.”

* * *

Tsuji and Marcellus made it to the entrance to the Class Half Moon door. Checking the time, they surmised they arrived before class actually began but after everyone took their seat. Tsuji took a quick peek inside but did not see Shannon or Audrey. With that in mind, the two guys decided to sit outside and wait.

“So what’s up with you and Jackie?” Marcellus asked, “You two stopped talking or something?’

“Oh, right. I forgot to tell you about that.” Tsuji went off on a tangent to explain when she tried to stop him from coming to his rescue, “—So that kinda led to a minor argument after the Chicago mission. Now she’s a bit touchy.”

“Well, what do you expect? You knocked her out,” Marcellus said.

Tsuji sighed exasperatedly. “I mean, what choice did I have?! I didn’t know what was happening to you.” The meister rested his head in the palms of his hands, elbows on his knees. “I thought she’d understand. It’s like our relationship took a few steps back.”

“Happens, I guess,” Marcellus said consolingly, placing a hand on his younger brother’s shoulder, “Give her some time and space and try again. Make it more about you and her, mostly her, instead of me. All right?”

“I gotcha, brother. Thanks.” A few more seconds passed by and Tsuji went to check again. The girls were there at this time, but so was Gregory. They respectfully knocked on the door just like last time, grabbing the teacher’s attention before he settled himself. “Um, hello, sir. It’s us again. We need Audrey and Shannon again. You see, I need to see something about their Enchanted Eyes. I swear, it’s for a good cause!” He collapsed to the floor like a desperate beggar. “So, please! Please help us out!”

“Quit your groveling,” Gregory barked out, making Tsuji immediately jump back to his feet, “We carry ourselves with pride at this school.”

Tsuji nodded rapidly. “Yes, sir. Sorry, sir.”

“If you say this is for a good cause, then sure. You may speak to them once more. Wait here.”

Tsuji and Marcellus waited patiently until Audrey and Shannon were brought out to the hallway. Shannon placed one hand on her hip, cocking it to the side, as she stared at the boys expectantly. “Well? You two mind telling us what do you need now?”

“We’re trying to gather information about the Enchanted Eyes,” Marcellus answered, toying with his lollipop, “Shannon, you’re the only Demon Weapon we know other than Noel who has the Enchanted Eyes, so we’d like to see its effects.”

“To make a long story short, let’s have a little friendly spar,” Tsuji clarified, “Ya mind?”

Shannon raised a trim eyebrow. “So let me get this straight. You take us from class just so you and Audrey can fight while I expend energy using my Enchanted Eyes?” A pause as Tsuji stared at the girl blankly; he couldn’t believe her rudeness. Just then, a grin broke out on Shannon’s face. “Sure thing. Thanks for giving us a reason to get out of his boring lecture.” She looked at her partner. “You in, Audrey?”

Audrey rolled her neck, cracking it in preparation. “Definitely.” She offered a small smile, walking up to them a little. The guys were surprised. It appeared that talk about how she could suppress her androphobia in combat was true. “The front of the school, right? We’ll need to scoop up a teacher to supervise. School rules.”

Tsuji nodded slowly, still trying to process the girls’ strange reactions. “Uh, sure. That’s fine.”

Eventually, they made it out to the space in front of the Academy’s main entrance. They snatched up Sid along the way. Both pairs stood at opposite ends of the impromptu battlefield, staring down one another. When Sid gave the cue, the Weapons transformed. “Yo, Shannon, you wanna skip straight to the Enchanted Eyes?” Tsuji asked.

“Actually, let’s ease into the fight, okay?” Audrey spoke up. Tsuji shrugged his shoulders; he didn’t mind. Audrey’s ulterior motive was to deduce Tsuji’s fighting style, and she was taught not to expend her resources right out the gate unless it was necessary. She readied her fencing baton. “Ready when you are.”

Testing her out, Tsuji launched a quick arrow. Audrey crouched down and moved. The arrow hit an afterimage of her as the real one appeared in front of Tsuji. While taken back, Tsuji still blocked a series of a jabs from the fencing baton.

The thinking was left to Marcellus. _“Was that a feint? What kind of move was that?”_

Audrey kept up the pressure, jabbing and swinging her weapon. Tsuji backpedaled while blocking with his bow, trying to create some distance but failing. Gritting his teeth, he lifted his leg for a high kick. This forced Audrey to stop and block. Now it was Tsuji’s turn to go on the offensive, the boy performing a series of kicks that blew the Baton Meister back.

“Let ‘em fly, Tsuji!” Marcellus called out. In truth, he wanted to see that feint technique more closely. The Bow Meister fired an array of arrows. Audrey responded by deflecting a few with her baton, disappearing and reappearing in different spots to dodge whatever she couldn’t hit. When they stopped coming, Audrey once again reappeared in front of Tsuji.

_“She’s quick.”_ Tsuji thought, bobbing and weaving to avoid Audrey’s rapid jabs.

_“She’s not moving as fast attacking like she is dodging.”_ Marcellus pondered. Naturally fast people like his meister, Kilik, or Blackstar showed a sort of consistency in their movements. Audrey lacked such. When Tsuji managed to gain distance again, positioning himself near the staircase, Marcellus asked aloud, “What kind of technique is that? No use hiding it.”

“So you noticed,” Audrey remarked as she and Tsuji circled around one another, “I’m not really that fast, so I compensate with Flash Speed. A feint, strafe, quick move, call it what you will.”

Tsuji offered her a competitive grin, jumping back to stand on the barricade. “Hate to burst your bubble, but I can hit a moving target.”

“This one hits back.”

Audrey used Flash Speed to instantaneously close to the gap, but Tsuji expected it, having leapt off, span a whole circle to build momentum, and kicked the Baton Meister in the gut right when she appeared. As much fun as he was having, it was time to do what he came here to do. _“Maybe I can goad them…”_ Right when he prepared to shoot, Audrey used Flash Speed to close the gap. She elbowed his shooting arm, kicked him to the ribs to spin him around, and delivered a series of jabs to his exposed midsection. _“Okay, yeah, time to kick it up a notch!”_

Tsuji focused and activated his Enchanted Eyes in the middle of Audrey’s next attack, allowing him to dodge and drive his knee dead into her gut. Audrey yelled out as she skidded across the ground, dust and stone flying as she tried to anchor herself down. She lifted her head to see Tsuji’s smirking mug and his intense, glowing eyes. “C’mon. You better show off your stuff before I get bored!”

Audrey coughed, recapturing her breath.  “S-Someone’s impatient.”

“Fine then.” Shannon run her hand through her hair and tossed it over her shoulder, showing utmost confidence. “Let’s show him our true strength if he’s so eager.” She then closed eyes. “He’ll regret it soon enough.”

A red-orange mist seeped out of the fencing baton. As it began to glow, the mist split and surrounded Audrey’s arms and legs. The baton elongated and the hilt expanded as the mist solidified around Audrey’s limbs. She now wore a pair of black and orange gauntlets and greaves. The baton had transformed into a two-handed sword. “Sharandaka.”

Tsuji watched as Shannon’s reflection appeared on the blade. She had the Eyes, and her hair looked a bit disheveled. _“Huh. Pretty much the same. Weapon changes, Meister gets some stuff, the colors, the Wavelength.”_ He focused on the sword. _“But that doesn’t look anything like what it was. What’s up with that—”_ Audrey used Flash Speed, but because of the Eyes, he saw it coming and blocked her sword with Ichaival. “Testin’ me, huh?!”

Audrey swung around for a high kick. Tsuji ducked. He rolled away, leapt, and fired several arrows. Audrey deflected them. She charged, batting arrow after arrow as Tsuji backpedaled to keep his distance. She feinted again. Tsuji’s body reacted on its own without conscious thought. He slid to his right, opposite to the direction of Audrey’s sword stroke.

Tsuji went for a kick, but she blocked with her left hand. She hooked Tsuji’s left with her own and threw him to the ground. Audrey threw a punch, but Tsuji rolled right as she instead imbedded her first into the stone. He scrambled to his feet and readied an arrow. He noticed the sword begin to move.

It changed to a bow.

In that instance, he was paralyzed with surprise, giving Audrey the chance to shoot hers first. It hit Tsuji and knocked him flat. Marcellus exchanged hurried glances between Tsuji and their opponents. “It’s a sword _and_ a bow? You can Mode Change like that?”

Shannon chuckled, enjoying the feeling of triumph. “Nope. That’s just a function of the Blood Bow-sword: Sharandaka.”

“Everyone’s different, I guess,” Marcellus remarked. He then heard a frustrated growl from Tsuji as he shot to his feet. His eyes glowed brightly, but Audrey stood there stone-faced and poised, ready for his next course of action. He charged. “Tsuji, what are you doing?! Don’t charge like that!”

He wanted to show her just who she was dealing with. Shannon focused on his movements with her own Enchanted Eyes. “He’s coming from the right!” Audrey barreled the other way, dodging a flaming axe kick from Tsuji. He chased them down and kept up the assault, legs brimming with hellfire, the sole thing the girls had to watch for right now.

Spotting him misstep, Audrey morphed her bow to a sword and smashed the pommel into the side of Tsuji’s skull, the soft spot high on the temple. A dazed Tsuji staggered backwards as Audrey readied the bow again. “Tsuji, look alive!” Marcellus shouted. Tsuji regained his bearings, readied an arrow in shorter time, and the two fired.

An explosion filled with Demonic Wavelength energy forced them to separate to opposite ends of the battlefield, skid marks tracing their path. Having seen enough, Sid stepped out and held up his hand. “That’s enough, you two. This gets any more serious, the rest of us won’t have a front entrance to use.”

Tsuji whipped around to face Sid. “Oh, come on, I almost had her! I was about to win.” He suddenly tensed up from his wounds, causing him to wince.

“Wasn’t your objective to see our version fared with yours?” Audrey pointed out, walking over with the attitude of someone on a leisurely stroll. Shannon snickered as she deactivated her Enchanted Eyes and what came with it. “I was simply demonstrating it. I didn’t get too rough with you, did I?”

As Tsuji did the same, Marcellus reverted to a human form. “Yeah, Tsuji, what did you learn?” He already knew the answer. Halfway through the fight, Tsuji grew too competitive and lost sight of his goal.

Realization washed over Tsuji’s face like a tide. He swallowed thickly and placed a hand behind his head. “B-Besides the obvious stuff?”

Marcellus sighed and shook his head. “You’re lucky I got curious and paid attention.”

As everyone took their leave, none of them realized they had a spectator. Up on the balcony, Rowena watched them depart with crossed arms and a neutral expression. As his sister, Rowena should feel proud of Tsuji and his progress, but she couldn’t shake something off.

…

“I finally got the Enchanted Eyes down pat! I’m a certified badass now!”

“That’s great, bro. I’m glad.”

“I also kicked the ass of this crazy Witch too. Dunno what happened to her, but I hope that’s the last of her.”

“Y-You… beat a Witch?”

“Yeah! Isn’t that great?”

“Oh. Well. Yeah.”

…

Rowena clenched her hand, recalling that conversation. It made her feel low, insignificant, even though she and Tsuji went through the same amount of training and been here at for the same amount of time. Just like when he won their final sparring match before they began their prerequisite missions. _“Enjoy it while it lasts, Brother. I’ll be back in front of you in no time.”_

* * *

_Month 3, Week 2, Day 6 (Saturday, March 14th)_

With no one left on Bermuda, having been overrun by the Anria, it was one of the quietest places on the Earth.  Even members of the Other Side Gang who took refuge here were put off by the less engaging atmosphere compared to Chicago. But, to others, it was the perfect place, a place where nobody could arrest or judge them. It was peaceful in a warped sense.

In the Subterrene Medical Ward, the Lucrenan sisters took advantage of this peace and quiet. Cancer, wearing bandages, read a giant world atlas as she sat in a chair at Kujira’s beside. Kujira meanwhile sharpened sets of combat knives, enjoying her sister’s presence.

“Cancer!”

The doors flew open, replacing the peaceful silence with tension. Cancer looked up from her book to see Soriano storming in. He was still in patient clothes, and he kept a hand over his torso where his gunshot wound was. Henderson scrambled in after him. Stopping near them, Soriano bared his teeth, unable to keep his usual calm. “Damn you, Cancer. Because of you, most of my precious gang is gone! GONE! This wasn’t part of our deal.”

Cancer glimpsed at Kujira smiling sheepishly, all but saying she told him everything. She sighed, set her atlas aside, and stood up. “Because of me, you say?”

“Yes!” Soriano’s body trembled as he continued glaring daggers at the witch. “And I have half the mind to think things would be even worse if it weren’t for Kujira being your blood!”

Cancer sunk into a hip. “I will admit the only reason I even affiliated myself with the Other Side Gang is because of Neptune’s involvement, but you are missing some key facts, Soriano.”

Soriano narrowed his eyes. “Enlighten me.”

“You agreed if I destroyed Portis and his organization you would be able to provide his and your resources to me. I know for a fact nothing remains of them.” She slowly, purposefully sauntered to the man as Kujira and Henderson watched on with held breaths. “You, on the other hand, are in straits and in no condition to keep your end of the deal. So tell me, Soriano Mouradian, who exactly is in the wrong here? I upheld my end, but it appears I did that for nothing. You, unable to cope with the gravity of your catastrophic failure, are looking to place the blame on someone else to keep your ego aloft. Namely me because some of your men were killed on my watch.” She now stood directly in front of Soriano, almost eye level with him. She returned the look on his face, eyes glowing intensely. “I will admit I acted unreasonably, but I think that point is now moot when I not only saved you but also am allowing the tattered shreds of the Other Side Gang remain on what is effectively _my_ island.”

Despite the difference in strength, Soriano stood his ground. “Yeah, you’re right. It’s _your_ island. That doesn’t make me feel safe at all given your track record. How do I know you won’t feed me to one of your freaky Anria? Huh? You got at least a shipment or two from both me and the CGs. You got what you wanted.” He stepped back, placing a hand over his aching, beating heart. He wanted Cancer to understand this much at least. “Me? No, my gang, my people, my _family_? RUINED!”

“Cancer Lucrenian!”

Walena unceremoniously charged into Kujira’s room. Her whole head was wrapped in bandages save holes for her eyes and mouth. At the sight, Henderson placed his hand on his face and shook his head. _“Doesn’t anyone here realize I told them to stay in bed and heal?”_

Walena approached the fellow Witch and crossed her arms. “So, Cancer, what are you going to do as compensation?”

Soriano smirked, pleased, while Kujira drummed in her fingers on the handle of a knife, growing irritated. Cancer stared at the ceiling with a withheld expression of annoyance. _“Has everyone elected to complain to me today?”_

Not waiting for an answer, the wombat witch continued voicing her complaints, “What if Tazmina sees me like this? I’d be in severe trouble!”

Thinking Cancer had her hands full enough with Soriano, Henderson felt at liberty to speak on her behalf, “The solution is simple, use your masks to hide your bandages until your real face heals.”

For a moment, the haze of anger and frustration thinned so realization could set in for Walena. “… Oh, right.”

Henderson idly circled around her. “Quite frankly. Ms. Devilana, I’m not sure if we should trust you. I’m still pondering on why you approached us so cryptically in the first place. What would you have gained from this?”

“What, I’m not allowed to be on the winning side?” Walena toyed with her bandages, stopping when red glints appeared in Henderson‘s eyeholes. “I hate the Witch Society, and I hate the DWMA. You guys obviously can do some damage with Project Omega.”

“I still don’t trust you,” he said pointedly, having stopped and returned to looking at her dead in her eyes, “Since we seem to be airing out our differences at the moment, let’s discuss this – you carried out your own agenda, you evidently failed to keep tabs with Lady Cancer, and you never revealed to us what was even talked about in Portis’s meeting with Lord Death. Ms. Devilana, you have only yourself to blame for your failure. Now, you’re attempting damage control.”

Walena hissed and narrowed her glowing eyes at him, white skulls appearing in her irises. “I didn’t ask for your opinion, freak.”

Henderson was unmoved. “No one had to.”

“He does bring up some rather valid points, Walena,” Cancer said, prompting another glare.

Soriano sneered. “Damn, Cancer, how many people you screwed over this past month or whatever?”

The sound of a steel stabbing through steel silenced everyone. They looked to see Kujira’s hand firmly around a knife wedged in the railing of her bed. “Oh my God, can all of you please _shut the hell up for two seconds_?!”

Now with their attention, Kujira let them have it. “I just wanted some peace and quiet, that’s all, but no, everyone had to come and squabble while the DWMA and the police are probably popping bottles at their victory over us! I’m hopped up on drugs, I ache all over, and I got my ass handed to me the other day by some shit-flinging primate! Boss, your ego got you shot. My reluctance to kill got me short one eye. Walena, your shadiness bit you in your ass. Cancer, your ‘my-way-or-the-highway’ trust issues ain’t gonna cut it no more.”

Against her body’s wishes, she got out of bed. “Whether you guys realize it or not, everybody now knows Novus Partus and the Other Side Gang are in cahoots. It’s us against the world. We can either point fingers or work together.” She pulled everyone together by the arm, bringing their available hands in the middle with hers on top. “There’s no turning back, so let’s become a team, okay?”

No one said anything, but they did understand the gravity of the situation now that Kujira brought it up. They collectively pulled back, a silent acknowledgement, as the tense air finally went away. “We’ll discuss more when we’re better,” Soriano announced.

“Good,” Henderson interjected, “because any louder and I’d have to stitch everybody back up. To your room, patients. Doctor’s orders.”

Henderson escorted Soriano and Walena out of Kujira’s room to leave the sisters be. Kujira released a drawn-out sigh, but before she could plop back into bed, Cancer grabbed her arm. “I know of a better place.”

…

Kujira hadn’t been to the beach since days before Atlantis was attacked by the Vladinghams. Even though it was against Doctor Henderson’s precious orders, she really wanted to revisit a sight she fell in love with. Could it have been the dazzling sand that sparkled in the light, or the hungry seagulls beating their wings against the ambush of wind?

Listening with both an open heart and ear, Kujira heard the waves crashing against a nearby rock. Then, her gaze drifted to the sky at the aurora hovering all over Bermuda. It was the barrier Cancer placed all over the island to separate it from the rest of the world. It added a nice touch. No one else could say they experienced a beach and the waves with something as beautiful as an aurora above.

“I think Miyuki said she’d speak to her Laos for further protection of the island,” Kujira said randomly. Now that the Anria had officially depopulated Bermuda, it unequivocally belonged to Novus Partus. Good thing, too, because her fellow gangsters were safe to live here.

“Hm.” Cancer never looked up from her book, sitting with her legs crossed on a large rock. Kujira deadpanned at her lack of interest. Cancer glanced up, ignoring her sister’s expression. “Where did you bury our father Orpheus?”

Kujira toyed with her long ponytail as she dug into her memories. “Somewhere in Oceania. I’d have to go there myself to show you.”

Cancer nodded. “I suggest you exhume him and bring him to the gravesite I have for Galene. I wish to pay my respects.”

The corner of Kujira’s mouth twitched downward as she mentioned their loathsome mother. “Sure thing.”

It did not go unnoticed. “I will admit Galane was not the best of spouses,” she said as Kujira glimpsed her direction, “but she is the very reason I devoted myself to science. I desired to be as fine of one as she. And you should be proud she conceived the two of us. Let us agree she was a great mother but a lackluster wife.”

“I guess I can compromise that much. She did teach me all I know.” Kujira brought her knees to her chest and hugged them inward. “But poor Dad. Despite a failing relationship, he took care of us and pretended not to be hurt.”

“Hmm.” For several minutes, the sisters enjoyed the crashing waves and their company. The silence was broken when Cancer sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “Now what?”

Kujira titled her head. “What do you mean?”

“I dread the coming days having to deal your compatriots and figuring out the flaws in Project Omega that led to its demise,” Cancer said.

Still pushing people away, it seemed. Kujira reached over and sisterly placed a hand on Cancer’s shoulder. “It’ll be fine, little sis. Whether you realize it or not, you have more people behind you other than Henderson.” She pulled away and grinned. “One way to keep it that way is make things pleasant. Keep everyone satisfied and in your good graces. The Other Side Gang and Novus Partus are officially allied. Might as well take advantage of that, don’t you think?”

Cancer scoffed. “I do not believe Soriano sees it like that. Quite frankly, I would prefer not to be questioned.”

Kujira’s grin widened. “The worst leaders have yes-men for subordinates.”

Cancer sighed. “Yes, I suppose you are correct.” With bouts of boredom seemingly on the horizon, Cancer needed ways to curb them upon their arrival. Perhaps a reconstruction of Bermuda to make it more technological like Atlantis or Subterrene. She was sure the impressionable humans of the Other Side Gang would appreciate convenience. She closed her atlas and stood up. “I shall be on my way. Tell your comrades welcome to New Bermuda. I am going to my sanctuary to begin some plans.” She took a few steps as Kujira stayed there. Cancer stopped when a thought crossed her mind and spoke without facing her. “Given your profession, I sincerely wish you curb your reluctance to kill. Your hesitance is a weakness, one that could get you hurt worse or even killed. I do not want to bury another family member early.”

“All right, Sis,” Kujira responded, “And I hope you learn to accept our aid. Don’t put the weight of the world on your shoulders, especially when you’re trying to destroy it.” She heard the sounds of departing footsteps and blurted out, “I love you.”

There was no reply, and that stung.

* * *

_Month 4, Week 1, Day 3 (Wednesday, April 1st)_

The time had come for the annual Eve of Anniversary Dance. While Lord Death had been skeptical at first of throwing a party at the Academy considering the last party had ended in the resurrection of Asura, Spirit managed to convince him otherwise; everyone needed a chance to unwind after a hectic February and March. It was also a night where he wasn't cooped up in his Death Room all day.

Night had just begun to fall as the first few attendants made their way up the steep stone steps. As the minutes passed, more and more people showed up, including Maka and Soul. The Scythe Meister wore a lavender dress with slippers, hair down. Soul, like always, wore a suit modeled after the one in the Black Room.

Soul glanced around. “Is it me or is there more people than last time?”

“It’s just you, Soul.” Maka spotted uniformed forces here and there, a precaution to prevent anymore blindsides to the home base, the schemes of Medusa and Shaula still fresh on their minds. She shook her head, erasing them. Tonight was a festive celebration. It should stay that way. Out of the corner, Maka noticed the Moncharmins, dressed in suits and dresses mere commoners could never hope to wear, especially Claudia and Diana. “Geez. Even at night, that embezzlement could blind people.”

Soul scooted a little behind his meister, hoping Claudia will miss him. “I agree.”

“Yo, yo, what’s up, you two!”

Soul and Maka looked to see the Ricardsens approaching them. Marcellus had on a black and red herringbone suit, jacket, and pants with black shoes. Tsuji had on a black tailcoat, pants, and shoes with a green shirt and tie. Rowena’s hair fell around her shoulders in thick curls. She wore an orange and white Jacquard sheath dress with stockings and flats. Nayumi wore a Victorian-style white and purple dress. Her hair was down too, almost reaching the end of her dress.

Soul raised an eyebrow. “Your dad’s not here?”

Nayumi shook her head. “He doesn’t like these kinds of outings, so he’s at home right now.”

Marcellus tugged at his suit’s collar in discomfort. _“Not that I blame him.”_

With her hands resting in the small of her back, Rowena examined Maka and liked what she saw. “Wow, Maka, you’re lookin’ pretty in a dress. It’s surprising to see you not hauling a giant scythe.”

Maka laughed at how ironic the comment was. “Speak for yourself, Rowena! You definitely look better than I do. Especially with your hair down.”

“It’s hard to believe you guys are sixteen now,” Soul said, hands inside his pockets “Feels like the 20th wasn’t that far back.”

Tsuji shrugged. “Birthdays are just that, Soul – days. They’re meant to come and go.”

“ _Soooooooul_!”

“Catch you guys later!” Soul sprinted off, leaving a trail of dust as Claudia, holding her gold and white dress up by the hem, pursued him at the speed of light. She wasn’t the only one; his whole fan club was in on the action.

Maka’s eye twitched as Rowena, Nayumi, and Tsuji laughed uproariously.

Marcellus’s mind was on something else entirely. “I hope I have enough money to get Claudia a birthday present on the 12th.”

* * *

At some point in the night, students and faculty completely filled the grand ballroom. Eve of Anniversary Dance finally hit its stride. A live band played on stage, playing genres such as jazz, swing, and classic rock. Roars of laughter and merry conversation were all that could be heard. A lot of people also took upon dancing to the up-tempo music.

As Maka surveyed the whole place, it was odd seeing some of the people she knew in a casual situation out of their element. Ox kept trying to get a dance from Kim to no avail. Blackstar, Patty, Meredith, and Autumn tried eating all the food. Spirit and Roger flirted with every woman around their age, but Stein and Francis kept a leash on them. Kilik and the Pot Twins were in a dancing competition against Marvin, Andy, and Madeline as others cheered on. Elsewhere, Kid instructed whoever he saw on how to dance ‘symmetrically.’ Liz, Tsubaki, Jacqueline, and Claudia chatted in a corner. Everybody, except Noel, Kathi, and a few students, were present and doing something to make the evening interesting, and that made the party go without a hitch.

Despite her innermost feelings, the sights made Maka smile in relief as she turned and headed to the nearest balcony.

Near the food tables, Luther dragged her sister away from the next batch of food prepared by the chefs lest the other patrons would riot. “For the love of God, sister, compose yourself!”

Meredith swallowed all of the turkey meat stuffed in her mouth in one gulp. “But I’m hungry.”

Tom, garbed in a traditional black tuxedo, sipped his lemonade. “You just ate a whole turkey and two loaves of bread.”

Shannon, dressed in a red and white dress, flipped her hair. “Besides, you don’t want to ruin that dress.” Both of them rocked a suit and dress colored dark purple and burgundy. Meredith’s dress sported segmented patterns with embellishment, had her hair in a bun, and had on hoop earrings. Luther’s suit was so clean Shannon could see her reflection in the lapel. “That’s like rich kid quality right there.” She further remarked, glancing at the Full Moon Class students like Il Sung and Eun Ae who wore similarly expensive garbs.

Meredith sighed, dusting off the long skirt that hid her legs. “Mother insisted. As soon as the date neared, she called me all the way from Monaco and told me she sent out her best tailors so Brother and I would appear ‘better’ than everyone else.”

Tom raised an eyebrow. “Monaco? Pardon my ignorance, but aren’t you two German?”

Luther adjusted his tie. “From our Father, Isaiah, whom birthed us into the Olmett Family. Our Monacan mother is a whole different story.” He cleared his throat, a bit uneasy sharing this information. “She is Sabrina Cornelia Albert Vittadini.” The glass nearly slipped from Tom’s grasp as Luther nodded in a confirmatory manner. “Yes. A DWMA alumnus, she presently occupies the throne of Monaco. Mr. Matilda is our godfather as approved by her and Father.”

Tom massaged his head, getting a headache. “You two are full of surprises. It’s like, when you told us your ages, I never thought you were actually less than 12 months apart.”

At one of the many balconies connected to the grand ballroom, the Vanderbilts kept to themselves, looking at the party from the outside, stargazing, or watching Death City at night. Vincent wore a simple lavender and purple suit and pants combo. Damon wore a dark green vest over a white shirt black pants, a dark green tie, and black dress shoes. Autumn wore a blue evening gown with a shawl, hair let down.

Damon drummed his fingers on the balusters as he spoke, “—Excepting the exact coordinates, the next step is to find a layout of the DWMA Supermax Penitentiary so we know how to navigate through it. This is between us and our youngest sister; nobody else needs to be involved or hurt.”

Vincent downed the rest of his drink. “Agreed.”

Taking upon herself to be lookout, Autumn leaned against a column, lazily gazing into the ballroom in case anybody came too close. “Since you of all people are having the best time gathering info, you take care of that, Damon.”

Damon’s expression turned blank. “Me of all people? What’s that supposed to mean?”

She flashed him a grin. “Figure it out.”

In that brief moment, someone slipped past Autumn’s vision. A six-year-old girl came rushing into the balcony, completely ignoring the triplets’ presence, and sat in the corner in a huff. She had on a pink and white, polka-dot dress with a large bow on top of her short maroon hair. Her cyan eyes were full of unshed tears.

Damon and Vincent looked at each other, shuffling awkwardly in their spots. Autumn, on the other hand, took initiative by walking up to the little girl and crouching down to her level. “Something the matter? You can talk to me.”

The girl glanced at her but stayed quiet.

“I won’t bite.” Her voice was usually quiet and uninviting. Now, as she talked to the young girl, it was soothing. “I don’t want your evening to be ruined.”

“U-Uh…”

Autumn changed tactics. “You look like the adventurous type. Tried something but failed? Maybe you wanted to dance with a big kid?”

“Uh, yeah.” The girl pouted. “He was my age and I had Rokko’s permission.”

_“That’s either her caretaker, her meister, or whatever.”_ Autumn reached over and fixed up the girl’s bow, making her look more presentable. “At least you tried. A lot of people here don’t get that far. What’s your name?”

“Tabitha.”

“I see. Are you tired?”

“N-Not really, but…”

Autumn didn’t wait for Tabitha to finish. She picked the girl up and placed her on her shoulders like Mifune with Angela. “Here. Rest a little.”

Tabitha’s whole expression changed. “Woohoo! I'm so tall now!”

Walling back into the ballroom, Autumn held onto her legs to keep her steady. “What does Rokko look like?”

“Oh! Oh! You can’t miss him. He’s tall, muscular, quiet, but really he’s a big teddy bear! Could you please dance with him?”

Autumn stiffened, her voice growing sharper. “Now why would I do that?”

Blissfully unaware, Tabitha giggled. “Because you’re pretty and nice.”

She scowled, believing that to be a lie. “OK, kid, let’s not get carried away.” If she were older, Tabitha would think otherwise. But because children were innocent, at least to Autumn, that wouldn’t happen. The woman sighed. “Now let’s find him. It’ll be an adventure, however short.”

“Yaaaaay!”

Vincent watched them go away with crossed arms. “Who would’ve guessed that Autumn would be so good with kids?”

Damon leaned back against the balusters and rested his arms on the railing. “Sis has got a soft spot for kids. She even works part-time at Mr. Mifune’s daycare.”

The balconies seemed to be popular place for private conversations because partners Klemens and Madeline were also at one. Klemens wore a standard tuxedo he rented from downtown like other male students. Madeline had on her usual outfit, citing procrastination as the reason why she wasn’t more formal. At least she still fitted in. Klemens leaded on the railing, idly swishing her glass of unfinished juice. Madeline stood beside him, fidgeting, unsure of what to say. She was certainly having fun, but he wasn’t.

“I’m going home—” Klemens suddenly declared as Madeline whipped towards him, “—for the summer.” The Demon Claymore slumped in relief, having feared the worst. “Honestly, I need a break and need to have a long talk with my folks about the DWMA.”

Madeline swallowed thickly. “Y-You’re not thinkin’ of leaving, are ya? I need you.”

Klemens looked at her and shook her head. “Don’t worry. I just have to clear my head. See what it is I’m looking for. Hopefully you understand.”

Her shoulders slumped. There was an uncertainty in his voice that made her wary. Summer vacation was a long time; there was no telling what the future held until the first day of school in August. “O-Ok.”

About an hour passed, and the party was still going strong despite the end being another hour away. Slow-dancing and R&B dominated the dancing floor, which was made of mostly couples, the closest of friends, or newly made couples. Off to the side, in the middle of talking to Harvar about current events, Soul spotted Maka on the balcony, something he missed this whole time. Soul stopped the Demon Spear by raising his hand. “Hold that thought.” He wordlessly gestured to his meister, and he nodded back understandingly. The two Weapons parted ways. Soul quietly entered the balcony. With a heavy exhale, he spoke, “Hey, Maka? What’s the deal? You’re being kinda standoffish. I think it’s a problem when I’m being more outgoing than you.”

Maka stiffened a little when she heard Soul’s voice but found the courage to face him as he approached her side. If she couldn’t confide in Soul, then their partnership was in jeopardy. “Soul… This may sound ridiculous, but I don’t think I’ve gotten over my fight with Cancer.”

Soul frowned, brow creasing. “Are you serious? All this time and you haven’t let it go?”

Maka winced, expecting that sort of stinging remark. “I know, it’s silly. I mean…” She faced the calm night sky. It looked very similar to that night in Chicago minus the destruction taking place. She gripped the railing tightly as she vividly recalled whole fight. “What she said, how she made me feel… I can’t stop thinking about it. I hate it. I hate _her_.”

Soul gingerly placed a hand on her shoulder to let her know he was there like always. “Don’t worry. She’s gonna get what’s coming to her. You just have to relax, be you, and be ready.” He offered a grin that showed all of his sharp teeth. “Let’s be cool, okay?”

Maka cracked a smile, a giggle escaping her. How ironic; she used that line on him after Kid dominated Soul and Blackstar at the front of the school. It was a suggestion to be himself and don’t do anything stupid. “Yeah, you’re right.” She fully faced him, feeling better now. “Thanks, Soul. I needed that.”

“Maka?”

The Scythe Meister looked to see Crona, garbed in a light blue robe with tribal patterns, peeking around the corner. “I wasn’t eavesdropping. I just wanted to see how you were and if you wanted to dance with me?”

She glanced inside, and it appeared things were winding down. The ballroom looked less crowded. Having spent most of the evening moping, she at least owed one of her friends a dance. She smiled. “Sure thing, Crona.”

The three left the balcony and rejoined the crowd. Maka then remembered something. Kid told her, word-for-word, the message Cancer left before she escaped with Project Omega’s soul. That woman sure loved to talk a big game. _“Yeah, Cancer, I really do think we’ll stop you no matter what. Even if you break everyone else’s spirits, you won’t break mine.”_

* * *

Even in the dead of night, Cancer paced within her sanctuary. Every computer around her displayed different images and data as the Lucrenian worked her brain to the fullest. Her dinner, long gone cold, sat untouched off to the side. She suddenly stopped in front of her mother-computer and stood here for a few, soundless seconds. Then, out of nowhere, she drove a balled hand into the keyboard, almost breaking it.

“Curse whoever destroyed my precious Surveillance Crabs and curse Albarn and Ricardsen,” Cancer said in a voice far too soft for someone this frustrated, “I’m at this impasse because of them.”

Project _00000Ω_ : Omega came to screeching halt just days after the Chicago Gang operation. Observation wasn’t enough. Without footage to replay and dissect every second, she truly had no idea why its Second Form failed in the end. Nights, like now, when everybody slept, she stayed up, but as stubborn as she was, spending all this time just to constantly hit roadblocks wore away at Cancer’s patience.

She walked over to Project Omega’s containment tube and rested her forehead on the glass. “I am no better off than when I first began. I need something, anything, to tell me what measures must be taken.” She cradled her scarfed arm, gripping the fabric tightly. “I do not want to repeat the mistakes of the last battle, but with no knowledge of what happened, what can I do?”

_Say please._

Cancer slowly lifted her head to stare into the reddened depths of Project Omega’s soul. A chuckle reverberated in her mind as the lifeform used telepathy.

_It’s about time we get to speak to one another._   


 

* * *

  _End of Act 1_  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, folks, you'll finally get an explanation on why my consistency plummeted with these last few chapters. Simply put, this story kinda bogged me down. Don't get me wrong, I love it and do plan on finishing it to the end, but it's worn me down. I've been wanting to write something else (especially stuff other than Soul Eater) since like Chapter 30, but I felt obligated to finish this arc and reach a stopping point. So I've been trying to dish out the last couple of chapters with interest dwindling, and that took something out of a toll on me.
> 
> Needless to say, it's break time. That's why I must announce Soul Eater: Troubled Souls will be broken up into "Acts," something I didn't originally plan. That way, it won't get too cluttered, it's easy to navigate for you guys, and it provides more chances for breaks.
> 
> So when's Act 2 coming out? Hard to say. I'm not gonna sit here and say I'm going back to it before the summer's out, but I'm also not gonna crush your hopes and say it'll be a year or so. Cuz that'd be pretty cruel of me. I'll likely go back and do a mass edit like before, but beyond that, I'm taking a break from Troubled Souls for an unknown amount of time.
> 
> At the very least, you'll be able to enjoy other works from me. But if you follow me strictly for Soul Eater, you got Soul Eater Zeta and Saeculum to sate your desires. Also a possible a Soul Eater/BlazBlue crossover for fun. They'll be updated leisurely.
> 
> Okay, onto the smaller stuff…
> 
> -If you went 'Huh?' at the name Sharandaka, it's a portmanteau of Sharanga and Nandaka. Two legendary weapons. It's a running theme for Blood Weapons.
> 
> -Now that Act 1 is done, I want to do a character popularity poll for my OCs (it'd be redundant to include the CCs, but we all know Kid would win). I'm gonna make polls on my and DeviantArt accounts (they all have the same name "Grade-AMasterpiece"). Vote for your favorite character! Believe it or not, it's a form of feedback.
> 
> -Act 1 answered questions but also raised some – What exactly is Gilgamesh, Minya, and "advanced Anria?" What is the truth behind the Lucrenian Clan Incident and Project Omega? What are Warlocks? And among other things. I know. That's why there's more to come.
> 
> So, guys, that's it for Act 1. Thank you for your support and please wait patiently for Act 2. Because remember…
> 
> This is only the beginning.


End file.
